Signal Fire
by CardboardCalla
Summary: Sequel to "Firecracker". Starting from episode 21: Fossils of Evil. 002 and 0014 have now joined up with the rest of the 00 Rebels. Their first mission is a dino hunt. But something else is lurking in the forest... Who are the R Cyborgs? Will Jet and Lily's relationship survive the new threats? Some drama, love, adventure, bit of gore... and feeeeeels. Reviews welcome!
1. Chapter 1: Firefly

Author's note: HULLO! This is a continuation from "Firecracker" so please have a read of that first on my profo, if not….. Well, do you do. Let me just give you a quick rundown if you don't want to read "Firecracker". *cries in cyborg*

SPOILERZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

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0014 AKA Liliana Silva AAKA Lily is my OC. She's as soft as a marshmallow (but WILL CUT YOU), quick as a whip, tiny Cyborg woman who hails from New Orleans, USA. She is 21 and has wavy brown hair, blue-gray eyes, and a smattering of freckles (let's pretend her creator, Professor Ryan wanted to make her original lolol cybernetics make no sense lolol). Her ancestry is Ukrainian/Spanish and she speaks with a slight southern drawl. Her hobbies are singing, dancing (not well, but does so anyway), botany, wine, and teasing- scratch that- loving 002/Jet. Her abilities are healing powers, accelerated speed, reinforced skin, and enhanced strength (just like 009 and everyone else after him, but she has healing powers instead of psychic ones). She first met the team at the destruction of Black Ghost's base (episode 17) and bonded with Jet when she healed him after he was injured. Turns out the bond she creates with healing someone makes it possible for her or them to locate each other and read each other's feelings during times of stress or danger. During the escape from the base, she was separated from the 00 Cyborgs but was reunited with Jet months later when she found him on the roof of the hotel after rescuing Cathy. "Firecracker" explores the development of their relationship and is set between episode 17 and 19.

YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Check out episode 21: Fossils of Evil, as I used that episode for the basis of this chapter (and more to come).

Figured I would use their code names 002 and 0014 when they are around the other team members. On their own, they use their actual names.

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Chapter 1. Firefly

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002, 005, and 009 walked through the beautiful, untouched oasis deep in the heart of New Mexico (or… wherever….). They were all clad in tan colored outfits, layered over their red uniforms. The rest of the team had set up camp well outside of the oasis and were waiting on any feedback from the trio. They had just received a briefing from Dr. Ross about the Deinonychus he and his comrade, Dr. Kylie, claimed to have seen. 002 was asking 009 if he thought Dr. Ross was leveling with them, considering he had worked on the 00 Cyborg Project and even designed some of them. He was hard to believe that he turned over a new leaf just like that.

005 stopped in his tracks, something in the wind alerting him. "Hey, what is it?" asked 002, turning around. 005 continued looking up into the trees. "Nothing, it must be the wind," he answered calmly. "Or your imagination," 002 mumbled, hands shoved his pockets as he stomped along. He was in a lousy mood. Early that morning, the splitting up of the team's duties caused some strong words with him and 0014. Dr. Gilmore had announced that Dr. Ross had only asked for the help of 002, 005, and 009. 0014 then asked to go along as well. Dr. Gilmore stated that it would not be fair, since she was not invited and she should stay with the rest of them while they spend time on the Dolphin or completing patrols around New Mexico. After the incident with the cyborg dog (Kubikuro!) in Japan, the team was on high alert for fear of other dangerous cyborgs from Black Ghost's past employees. 0014 pulled 002 aside and asked him to talk in private on the deck of the Dolphin.

….

"Jet, I really want to go with you on this dinosaur hunt," she stated plainly looking up at him. Jet sighed, "I know, Lily. But it's not up to me. When Dr. Gilmore told me about the expedition, I assumed it would be all of us. Look, maybe it's for the best." Lily looked out over the sand dunes. "Why?" Jet turned to look out at the vast sandy landscape too. "Well, if this is a real dinosaur, it could be a very dangerous mission." Lily turned quickly towards Jet and crossed her arms over her chest. "Your point being?" there was an edge to her tone. "I don't want you to get hurt." Jet replied quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "Me? I am stronger than you, Jet. In fact, I am stronger and more advanced than all of you. I am the one who should be worrying about you, but I don't because I believe in your abilities," she replied, raising her voice. Jet felt like he had been smacked across the face. He just stared at her, mouth open in shock. "Look, forget it. Just come back in one piece," Lily said flatly, and made a move back towards the hatch door. He reached out and stopped her by grabbing her arm. "Hey! That is not fair. Why are you like this? What has happened since New York? You are in such a bad mood lately." Lily turned and looked up at him fiercely. "Well, for starters, we had zero alone time together. Secondly, I am usually assigned to housekeeping or babysitting with 003 while you boys went on patrols in Kentucky and Oklahoma when 001 felt a presence there. Thirdly, I AM BORED. If I had known our 'adventure' would be like this, I would have stayed in New York. That way, you wouldn't have to worry about me getting hurt." Lily was fuming. She did not wait for his response and jumped back down in through the hatch lock of the ship.

…

Jet tensed his shoulders thinking about the confrontation. It was only a week ago that they had been singing and drinking in her little florist shop, flying through the clouds laughing, oh, and rolling around the living room floor…. But since then, her mood was entirely different. Jet did not know how to handle it. Maybe a night or two apart would be good for them.

As the sun began to set, he and the other two arrived at a large watering hole. Once again, 005 jumped slightly and looked up at the sky. "What is it?" asked 002. "Nothing," replied 005 quickly. "You keep saying that!" 002 scoffed, clearly irritated. "It's the wind,"005 added. "What about the wind?" inquired 009. "I sense that something here is peculiar."

Suddenly, a gush of wind formed again, and something zoomed past the three cyborgs. It was close to the waters' edge, and the quick movement caused water to splash up on them. All three took a defensive stance. Then, out of thin air, 0014 appeared behind them. "RWARR!" she shouted, holding her hands up like claws in front of her. "Gotcha!" she chuckled, seeing the shock wash over their faces.

"0014! What do you think you are doing here?!" 002 demanded. 0014 straightened her scarf. She too was wearing a tan outfit. "I came to talk to you, 002. Walk with me?" 005 and 009 looked on, sensing the tension between the two. 002 sighed, "Oh, alright. We won't go far, okay 005 and 009?" They nodded and turned away. 005 had pulled out a map for them to examine. 0014 walked ahead, and came across a large boulder. She jumped on top, and patted the space beside her for 002. He hopped up too, but still did not make eye contact with her.

"Jet….. I am sorry for snapping at you this morning. Let me try and explain," Lily started, quietly. "Look, it's only been little over a week since we left New York, but I have actually been feeling homesick for it." Jet now turned to look at her properly but still did not speak. "I guess…. I guess when we met again, I felt like we were building a life there. I had the store, great friends, you…. The house started to feel more like a home. I felt like I had a purpose." Lily sighed and continued, "Now, I am with brand new people, who are great and all, but I still feel a bit on the outside. You all have your own routine in place and I am trying to fit to. We can't spend time on the Dolphin like with did in New York… I miss that." Jet reached out, and wrapped his arm around her waist. "You think I don't miss that too, Lily? It's also hard for me to adjust being back in the team after spending so much time alone. And then having you all to myself…" Lily looked up and him and nodded. "Yeah, I should have brought this up to you instead of snapping at you. I'm sorry." Jet gave her a little squeeze. "You don't need to say sorry again, it's cool," he responded, leaning in close to give her a kiss. "But, it did rub me the wrong way when you said about being stronger than me. I am aware that you are, but our strength comes from working in a team." Lily nodded again, recalling her sharp words. "I know, but your team seems to think that 003 and I need to be kept in the kitchen. I don't like that." Now it was Jet's turn to think about it. He never realized it before, but Lily was right. 003 was rarely involved in any physical fighting. He had always assumed that is what she chose, but Lily was very different to 003.

"Let's bring this up when we all meet back together, okay? Guess it's tough, you are dealing with some old fashioned guys, me included. But honestly, I don't know what'd I do if I lost you again, Lily," Jet added, his voice cracked slightly at the last part. Lily nuzzled in close to him. "Well, that is why I want to fight by your side, Firecracker. We'll take care of each other, okay?" Jet nodded and squeezed her tighter. "Alright. We'll make it work. Let's get back to 005 and 009, Firefly" he stated, rising to his feet and taking her hand. "Firefly?" Lily looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Heh, yeah. Remember how I said I have to come up with a nickname for you, since you call me Firecracker?" Lily smiled, "But why Firefly? It better be something beautiful and poetic, Link" she warned playfully. "Oh yes of course…. Not that they are annoying and icky bugs. "Pain in the butt" was too long as a nickname to be honest." Lily slapped him on the arm lightly but then laughed.

As they walked through the trees, Lily poked Jet in the arm. "Fancy a quickie in the forest?" she smirked. Jet blushed slightly. "Any other time, yes. But right now I do not fancy getting eaten by a dinosaur in the throes of passion," he whispered. "Throes of passion? Geez, you have spent too much time listening to 007's dramatic readings, haven't you?" Lily teased. Jet rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, at least I sound smart and cultured….. unlike you!" he chuckled and pinched her arm. She tried to stifle a chuckle too. It was good to be back to their usual selves.

….

005 and 009 had already started a campfire when 002 and 0014 joined them. 009 looked up from the fire. "So, 0014, are you sticking around with us to catch this dino?" he asked. Lily smiled and nodded, settling down by the fire. "Yes, I was just talking with 002 about it. I am tired of being put on girly work with 003. I want to be in the heat of the action." 009 glanced and 002 and he nodded. "I think we all forget how powerful she is, to be honest. Same goes for 003. We need to discuss this when we get back to the others, after we catch this dino," he explained, as he sat down beside 0014.

005 poured out tea for all of them, and they discussed ideas on how to track the dinosaur. After a while, 002 pulled out a harmonica and started to play. 0014 hummed and nodded along to the melody. They shared little bits of information later in the night. 005 shared with them about how he felt about the stars watching over them. 002 told them how he used to count the stars when he could see them when he was a kid. 005 then pulled out three blankets, and apologized to 0014. "No worries, how would we have known that this pain in the butt would be joining us? I guess I'll share my blanket," 002 sighed dramatically. All curled up, at the base of the rock, they quickly fell asleep by the glowing embers.

…..

At some point before dawn, the snap of twig stirred 005 from his sleep. He quickly woke the others, and they crept behind a large rock, facing the watering hole. As sunlight creeped up behind the mountain, the dark, lizard like figure of the Deinonychus was clear to see. It lifted its head from the water and tore off at lightning speed through the trees. The cyborgs followed him as best they could, without use of accelerators. Only with 005's keen senses, they were able to follow the dinosaur to another clearing. The creature looked at them with red eyes, and streaked through the trees again. "Stay here, 005! We'll chase him back this way!" 002 called. "I am gonna try and track him another way," he added, tearing off his tan uniform, revealing his red suit as he took flight. "009, I am going to head east and try to cut him off!" 0014 yelled, and bolted through the trees, activating her accelerator.

Now the cyborgs were split up across the oasis…. A huge T-Rex launched itself from a cave and attacked 005. He grabbed the giant by its tail and swung it around, tossing it to the ground. But the vast creature returned to its feet and collided with 005, shoving him into the cliff face, causing boulders to rain down on him….

Meanwhile, 002 came face to face with a winged dinosaur. "A Pteranodon! You wanna piece of me? Let's go, I'll take you on!" It zoomed towards him and he dodged out of the way. "Try again, if you think you can catch me!" He was raced the monster through the crevice in the steep cliffs. The creature was no match for 002's sharp turns and it collided with the cliff face and crashed to the ground. While 002 was pondering over what other dangers lay in the land, the dinosaur launched itself at Jet, wrapping its talons around his chest. 002 gasped, "Let me go!"

009 was alone and facing the Deinonychus. Very quickly, he came to the conclusion that the dinosaur was no more than a machine. It shot a laser from its tail and tore off his clothes to reveal his uniform. Two other dinosaurs joined in on the attack on 009…. It wasn't looking good.

0014 could hear shouts from her team mates and guttural animal roars. She started to double back on her tracks when something giant slammed down beside her, taking down several trees and almost squashing her. She leaped up into a tree to get a better look. A four legged dinosaur with a long, thin neck and huge, whipping tail stared at her with glowing blue eyes. "A Brachiosaurus!" she exclaimed. The enormous creature turned and whipped its tail again, knocking down several more trees. 0014 leaped out of the tree and ran at full speed, trying to get to the front of the animal. Then, a laser shot out from its tail, cutting trees and boulders in two. 'It's a machine!' 0014 gasped to herself, and immediately pulled out her blaster gun. She darted straight towards the creature, firing her own lasers at it. The dinosaur reared up on its hind legs, and roared. 0014 fired several shots at its underbelly. The needle lasers cut through its scales to reveal metal plates. 0014 narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out a plan. The Brachiosaurus swung its neck, low to the ground, catching 0014's side and sent her flying, smashing into a tree and cracking the wood. She slumped down, her vision blurring... She shook her head and opened her eyes, to see the creature's gapping mouth in front of her. Switching on her accelerator, 0014 was able to set the blaster from needles to laser and shot several shots into the dinosaur's mouth.

Leaping away, she returned to regular speed. The lasers made impact and the head of the Brachiosaurus exploded, sparks and wires flying out from its neck. Lily looked sadly at the huge robot. 'Why, what sick mind would come up with this?' she thought, turning on her heel and heading back to find her team mates. While running, she pulled off her tan outfit, revealing her navy blue and good detail cyborg uniform.

Up on the cliff, overlooking the forest stood a young man. Silky black hair reached his shoulders. His skin was a deep mahogany hue, and his eyes were pitch-black. He wore the same uniform as 0014, navy blue with gold buttons and scarf. He smirked as he watched 0014 racing back towards the clearing. "So glad we get to meet again, 0014," he murmured. His skin started to glow and slowly, it all turned silver. Then, he vanished from the cliff.

…

Author's note: Huzzah! Feels good to be writing up some action again!

Any readers, lurkers, peeps out there? Drop me an emoji or abuse, I don't mind, all attention is good attention! Shout out to SomeoneForeign, the real MVP! :D

Hoping I can write this up as fast as Firecracker! More action to come ;)

KISSSSSSSESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX


	2. Chapter 2: Breaking Necks

Author's note: Awww yeah, connecting back old chapters from "Firecracker" FTW! It makes it look like I know what I am doing! :D

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Chapter 2: Turning Heads and Breaking Necks

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Lily slowed down her breathing and tried to focus. She could not sense anything from Jet, meaning he must be okay…... or dead. A knot tied in her stomach. She had felt something earlier, when going against the dinosaur, but in the middle of the battle, she could not focus on separating his heartbeat from her own. She headed back to the clearing where the others had split up. Another roar. Thunder rumbled and lightning split the sky. Lily slowed as she came upon the clearing, wanting to stay covered by the trees. Her eyes widened at the scene before her.

002, 005, 009 looked on as a headless dinosaur cyborg seized Dr. Kylie. 002 held 009 back, "Let him go," he told 009, sadly. The wires from its neck sparked and metal crunched as the robot exploded. 0014 winced, shielding her eyes from the blinding light. Around the pile of smoking metal were two other dinosaurs, their scales gone, only the metal hulls remaining. "Guys!" she called out, running towards them. The others turned to her, "You okay, 0014?" 002 asked, relief in his voice. "Yeah, I'm fine. Ran into a big guy back there, but….. yeah, all robots. We need to get out of here, there are probably more." 005 sighed, "We think Dr. Ross is responsible for turning that dino against Dr. Kylie. We need to try and find him." The others nodded and began walking towards the high cliff face, where his laboratory was located. Drops of rain pattered as the storm rolled in the distance.

005 stopped in his tracks and looked up. "Someone else is here," he whispered. The others stopped, looking around warily. 0014 felt a tingle run down her spine. Out of nowhere, something smashed into 009's chest and sent him flying. "009!" 005 called out, before something pushed him hard, clearing several feet. 002 and 0014 stood back to back. Whatever it was, it moved too fast. Suddenly Jet was pushed up through the air, as a force caught him right in the gut, and forced him up, throwing him several feet away. 0014 looked on in horror. "JET!" she ran to him as he fell, and dropped to her knees beside him. She whipped her head around, hearing footsteps behind her. Blood drained from her face when she saw him. "No…. not you…." She whispered, her voice wavering.

"Oh, but it is me. Long time no see, 0014," he smirked at her. The rain ran down his shiny metallic skin. His inky black hair rested on his broad shoulders. "R-03….." 0014's voice came out in a squeak. 002 pulled up himself with a groan. He looked at the stranger and his breath hitched. "Lily, it's the man I saw in your nightmare…" Lily rose to her feet, standing in front of Jet, blocking him from R-03. He laughed menacingly. "Oh, I appeared in your nightmare? How sweet. Well, I have been having dreams of you, 0014, dreams of crushing your skull like I should have back at the test site. Now, I have the chance to prove I am stronger than you BECUASE I should have been sent after the 00 TRAITORS!" 0014 took a step forward. "You evil creature. If you had any scrap of humanity remaining, you would leave Black Ghost like I did!" R-03 intertwined his fingers in front of him. "Of course you left, you are too weak-willed for your strength. Me, on the other hand, I wish to get stronger. Every time I destroy someone, I take their power. And you're next." He launched himself forward and collided with 0014, sending her rolling across the ground. 005 and 009 were now running towards them. 002 got to his feet, clutching his stomach. "No, leave her alone!" he called out. R-03 ignored him and walked over to 0014. He yanked her up by her hair onto her feet.

"You are not making this fun for me, 0014. Perhaps I should destroy the 00 Rebels first?" he turned around towards the trio. 0014 wobbled on her feet. 002 rushed forward, his fist ready to punch R-03. He dodged 002 easily and grabbed his closed fist. He snapped his wrist backwards with a sharp, deafening _crack_. 002 yelled out in pain. R-03 threw him to the ground. "Nooo, Jet!" 0014 gasped, the shock grounding her in her place. 005 lifted up a huge boulder and hurled it at R-03. Instead of dodging it, he leapt up, and disappeared, his accelerated speed shattering the boulder into small shards of rock. He then round kicked 005, knocking him off his feet. 009 disappeared and was then behind him. He shot his laser and R-03 raised his arm to block it. The laser blasted through his arm, cutting into his uniform and slicing through his silver flesh. 009's eyes widened when he saw that R-03 was unfazed, as the severed flesh simply molding back into the shape of his forearm, as though like liquid. "You can't hurt me, stupid cyborg! I am R-03, the R is for rejuvenation. I am a higher model than 0014 and my injuries can heal immediately. You don't stand a chance against me!" He shouted, punching 009 straight into the gut, and sending him flying.

0014 looked at her fallen team mates around her. 002 was trying to pull himself up, pain and anger written across his face. 005 was still on his back and 009 struggled to get up on his feet. Memories of being back on Black Ghost's base flooded 0014's mind. Being sent out onto the test site and being hunted by R-03. How he punched and kicked her until her vision blurred. The manic look on his face as he launched himself at her, only be teleported away at the last moment. How she thought she was going to die….. 0014 took a deep breath, steading herself. They were no longer at the base. She had to protect her team mates, her love, and everyone from this monster. "R-03," she called out. He turned to look at her. "I'll give you the fight you want." She spat the words like venom. "Catch me if you can!" she added as she accelerated, jumping from tree to tree and scaling the cliff face. 'I have to get him away from Jet and the others,' she thought, moving as fast as she could. She could feel him behind her. He was as fast as her, if not faster. 0014 darted this way at that, trying to keep him off balance. Landing on top of the cliff's plateau, she deactivated her accelerator to face him.

R-03 came to a stop also, smirking at her. 0014 charged towards him, catching his shoulder and pushing him towards the cliff face. He launched himself at her, but this time, 0014 ducked out the way, and turned, kicking him in the back. R-03 fell and rolled, jumping up again, unhurt. He rushed to her again, this time landing a punch to her left cheek. 0014 hooked him into the neck, and then into the ribs. She kneed him, managing to push him back again. She stood her ground firmly, and glared up at him. They continued fighting, punch for punch and kick for kick. The only difference was that R-03 did not sustain any injury, while 0014's skin was swelling and bruising far too fast for her body to self-heal. He was wearing her out.

"005! 009! We got to go after them! Grab onto me!" 002 pleaded. His lifted his arm, and with a wince, tucked his broken wrist in the opening of his jacket, between the golden buttons. The others hobbled over to him, pain written across their faces. They had already used too much energy from fighting the dinosaurs. "005, grab my waist. 009, take my good arm." The two followed his order. "Hold on!" Jet clenched his teeth and bent his knees, igniting his jets. They took off in the direction of the cliffs plateau, the sounds of slams and a scuffle guiding them.

R-03 grabbed 0014 by the neck and pulled her down, kneeing her in the chest, winding her. 0014 dropped to her all fours, gasping for air. He then brought his foot down on her back, slamming her down to the ground. She rolled over on her back, and coughed up blood. R-03 jumped on top of her, his hands wrapped around her neck. Rain poured down and the lightning lit up the sky. "0014!" She tried to turn her head in the direction of the voices, R-03 gripped her even tighter.

002 flew up, 005 holding onto his waist and 009 hooked on his arm. They landed around 40 yards away from 0014 and R-03 and started running towards them. "Hold it right there, cyborgs! You are just in time to see me squeeze the life out of her and take it for myself." 002 looked on in horror. 0014 was bruised and swollen, her uniform torn. Blood trickled out of her nose and mouth and her face was beginning to turn purple from R-03 strangling hands. "Here is a question for you, 00s. How do you kill a cyborg that can self-heal? I'll give you the answer; you pull her apart! You shall see, after I drain her power!" 002 felt like he was moving in slow motion. R-03's evil tone echoed in his ears. "Lily! Nooo!" he called out, his voice breaking as he lurched forward. "You deserve a slow death, 0014. After what you did to R-01… My R-01…." He hissed. 0014 shut her eyes tight, feeling her energy slipping away. 'This is it; I am a goner…..'

-0014! Use your power! You can drain him first! Trust yourself- 001's voice rang in 0014's mind. Her eyes flew open. She shot her hands up, grabbing R-03's face. One thumb stuck into his eye, the other in the corner his mouth. Her fingertips pressed into this hard skin. "What do you think you are doing?!" he growled. 0014 closed her eyes again and tried to focus. She felt her hands warm up, growing hot, as though melting into his face. She squeezed as tight as she could.

"Noooo! Stop!" R-03 shouted, panic clear in his eyes. His grip on her neck relaxed. 0014 felt her whole body heat up. The throbbing pains of her injuries started to subside. She looked up at R-03. His skin started to change back from sliver to his natural tan color. Red lines started to grow out from where 0014's fingers pressed into his skin. She clenched her teeth and pressed harder. Cracks started to form where the red lines were and ran down his neck. R-03 groaned in agony as his skin now started to lighten to a sickly grey color. "005! Help me!" 0014 called out. 005 rushed to them and grabbed R-03 by his shoulders from behind, pulling his hands off of her neck. "PULL!" she screamed. 005 pulled back as she pressed and pulled with all her might. 002 and 009 looked on, mouths open. R-03 screamed in agony. With the sickening sound of flesh ripping and bone snapping, R-03's head came off his shoulders. 005 fell back, still gripping R-03's headless body. He trembled in shock. "Get back, 005!" she called out. He released the body, and rolled away, looking back at 0014. She got to her feet and quickly pulled out her laser gun and blasted needle lasers onto R-03's body and head, causing them to burn up. As his remains burned, 0014's whole body started to tremble. She felt like she was on fire. She looked at her team mates as they stared back at her in disbelief. 0014 felt like she too, would burn up. Energy pulsed through her body. Her mind darkened and everything started to tilt sideways. Then everything turned black as she crumpled to the ground.

….

Lily felt like she was floating. Everything was dark and cloudy, like a stormy sky. She could hear voices. They were faint, going in and out. "Doctor Gilmore, why hasn't she woken up?" that was Jet's voice, demanding and worried. "Her whole system has been over worked, 002. Like when an engine overheats. We have to wait for her own self-heal ability to resolve the issues." Lily tried to open her eyes. No good. She tried to move her hands. Nothing. "But it has been two days already! Can't you do something?" Jet's voice rose, panicked. "No, 002. We have to wait. Go and get some rest, you haven't slept and you are not helping." Doctor Gilmore's voice faded out. Lily felt herself grow tired and darkness took over once again.

….

Author's note: Phew! Like? Typical, her first battle of the story and she ends up in a coma. Oh, I have been watching Game of Thrones, can you tell?! Lily and 005 make up the Mountain! Write to meeeeeeeeeeeee, emojis for the win! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	3. Chapter 3: My Soul is in the Sky

Author's note: Longest chapter I everrrrrrrrr wrote -awards self a medal- I would like to thank all my fans *crickets* all my reviewers *crickets* and all my readers *crickets die*

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Chapter 2: My Soul is in the Sky

…..

The mood onboard the Dolphin was grim. The team spent their time split between patrolling the land around the ship and visiting the local towns in shifts on watch. Doctor Gilmore said they would wait another two days before flying back to Japan, whether or not 0014 woke up. 002 rarely left her side in Doctor Gilmore's lab. Her physical status was stable. She could breathe by herself, but was supported with an IV drip and food tube. 001 tried tapping in but read nothing. If her mind was active, he could not reach it.

It was day three. 002 sat by her bedside, holding her hand. It felt unnaturally warm, as though she had a fever. Even though he continuously checked, her temperature read normal. He let go of her hand and held his head, bowing down. 'Why did you have to turn up at this hunt, Lily? Why? You should have been here on the Dolphin…. Then you would have been fine.' He looked at her, bags under his eyes and hair disheveled. 'It kills me because I know now I can't protect you…. You are the strongest and bravest person I know. How you destroyed that cyborg…. He is the one I saw in your nightmare. What history did you have on the base? He was the one that beat you to a pulp before…..?' the same questions buzzed in his mind over and over.

A hand rested on 002's shoulder, startling him. He looked up to see 005. "Dinner is ready, 002." 002 shrugged, "I'm not hungry." 005 gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I know, but you need to. You haven't eaten since yesterday. Go, I will stay with 0014. 002 dropped his head and relaxed his shoulders. "Okay, I'll be back soon. Thanks, 005." Even though there was sadness in his voice, his thank you was genuine. 005 watched as he walked away. The usually confident young man, full of swagger, dragged himself away. He turned to look back at 0014, looking straight through 005. "See you soon, Lily," he whispered before leaving the room.

005 took 002's seat and looked at 0014. She looked even smaller than usual, wrapped up in blankets. Her face was slack, no color in her cheeks. "Hello, 0014. It's me, 005. Or, G Jr. I don't think I ever told you my name, though you probably knew it. Can I call you Lily? It's one of my favorite flowers." 005 continued, his eyes soft. "I have to tell you, Lily. What happened on that cliff…. What I helped you do to R-03 has been eating me up. Just like every other life I have taken without want… it haunts me. And knowing you, for the brief time I have known you, I am sure you feel the same. I hope you wake up soon. I think it would be good for us to talk about this. We'll support each other. If that guilt and worry is keeping you from your body, please know that you did what you had to do. In the meantime, I will be here. I will watch over 002 like the stars watch over us." Tears welled in his eyes as he reached out, his massive hand completely covering hers.

…

003 walked into Professor Gilmore's lab, bringing the coffee she offered Jet. She stopped suddenly, realizing he had fallen asleep, his head and arms resting at the foot of the bed. She tip toed quietly, setting his coffee down on the desk. She kept her own cup close to her chest and looked down at 0014. She took the second seat next to the head of the bed and quickly checked the IV drip. She looked back at 0014 and reached over to place a hand on her forehead. She was warm, but not too warm now. It seemed that her 'fever' was going down. 003 took a sip of her coffee and thought for a moment. "0014, I wonder if you can hear me….. Everyone is so worried about you. We all wish for you to wake up soon. I know that I had expressed how happy I was that you were joining the team, but I am sorry that I did not make more of an effort to warming to you on the Dolphin. I guess it puzzled me that you wanted to be doing other jobs… I guess I thought you didn't like me much and wanted to stay from me. I hope that when you wake, we can start again. Us girls got to stick together right?" 003 chuckled to herself as she felt she sounded a bit silly. "002 hasn't left your side, he is here right now, sound asleep. You are so lucky you two, to have found love in spite of everything that has happened. I guess, I envy you in a way…. Maybe we can have…. Girly talks sometime. Please, wake up soon."

003 looked down again at 002. She got up, and pulled out a blanket from the cabinet. She draped it around his shoulders, and smoothed down his hair. 003 thought about her history with the young American. She was well aware that he liked her very much at the beginning, but she did not respond to his attention. He seems so sour when 009 and the others joined. After the destruction of the base, she worried he would himself completely to his loneliness. Meeting 014 changed him completely, and she hoped, he would never revert back to what he was. "See you two later," she whispered and walked out of the lab.

…

004 woke up with a start. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Just another night, and another nightmare about his beloved wife, Hilda. He threw his legs over the side of the bed. Stretching, he pulled a shirt off the chair beside his bed and put it on. He checked the clock. 1.30am. 'Maybe I could go and get some fresh air or relieve 008 from his night time duty.' 004 made his way down the dimly lit corridor. He slowed as he approached Professor Gilmore's lab. He peeked in, seeing 0014 lying motionless and 002 asleep at the end of the bed, a blanket half falling off his shoulders. 004 walked in and over to 002. He reached down and rearranged the blanket over the young man. 002 groaned in his sleep, frowning. 004 was worried he had woken him, but relaxed when he saw his face soften. He then sat down at the head of the bed and looked at 0014. It pained him to see such a bright spirit so still.

"Hey, 0014, it's me, 004. Hope you don't mind me. I couldn't sleep, so was on my way to take over patrol watch. You are going to have a lot of hours to catch up on when you wake up," 004 smirked to himself but his smile faded quickly. "0014, you need to get it together and come back to us, especially for Jet. I know this boy well and he needs you, now more than ever. I saw the pain he suffered when you stayed at the base. I saw him do a 180 degree turn when you two were reunited. You can't leave him now….. It wouldn't be fair." 004's felt a tightening sensation in his chest. "I am sure he blames himself for this…. Blames himself for you getting hurt…. And if you don't wake up, he'll blame himself forever. So please, come back. We are all waiting." His light colored eyes darkened. Rising to his feet, he slowly walked to the door. He glanced back and sighed. He then left the room. If only he had waited a second longer, he would have seen her fingers twitch, closing around the edge of the bed sheet.

…

008 walked through the corridor on his way to bed. 004 had come out and offered to take over. 008 took the offer, gladly. He was feeling tired, both from the patrol and from the heavy atmosphere between the team. He passed by Professor Gilmore's lab without looking in. His pace slowed and he stopped. Breathing deeply, he turned around and walked back, pausing at the doorframe. Only the lights of 0014's monitor illuminated the room. 002 was sound asleep with a blanket around his shoulders. 008 leaned on the doorframe, taking in the scene. "0014," he whispered. "I have to admit, I was shocked when I heard what you were capable of… how you defeated that other cyborg with 005. Big guy is pretty chewed up about it too. Makes me wonder how dangerous the new cyborgs will be. Guess time will tell, when you wake up. Well, I am glad you are on our side; we need all the help we can get. Hurry back, we have business to attend to, girl." He smiled sadly and turned away, headed for his bedroom.

….

The following morning, 002 woke up slowly. His back ached from being bent over the bed. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at 0014. She hadn't moved. He sighed heavily and stretched. A knock at the door caught his attention. 007 stood there, cup of tea and a book in hand. "Morning, 002. 006 has already started breakfast. Why don't you head down there before the herd arrives? I know you'd rather not be social." 002 smiled at him wearily and nodded. "It's like you read my mind, 007. Thanks." 007 waved his hand. "Don't mention it. I'll keep an eye on our little hurricane. Go on." 002 gave his shoulder a squeeze as he walked out of the room. 007 settled himself in the chair beside 0014's bed. "So, 0014, will I continue where we left off?" he asked, setting down his cup of tea and opening the marked page in his book of Shakespeare. "Ah, here we are," he cleared his throat and delivered the lines. _"Fair lovers, you are fortunately met. Of this discourse we more will hear anon.— Egeus, I will overbear your will. For in the temple by and by with us These couples shall eternally be knit.— And, for the morning now is something worn, Our purposed hunting shall be set aside. Away with us to Athens. Three and three, We'll hold a feast in great solemnity. Come, Hippolyta."_ 007 paused for a moment. "I do recall you saying you lived for a time in Greece, 0014. How exciting! Perhaps, once you are awake, we'll travel there. Oh, and we'll have a feast, of course! Never did I think I would be able to travel the world as I am doing now. It does inspire me to write… You are one of the few on this ship that enjoys my writing. I hope to have written something decent for you before you wake. But for now, Shakespeare will take the lead." 007 continued reading " _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ " to 0014, until 002 returned. He looked up at 002 and smiled. Folding down a dog's ear on the page he stopped, he closed his book and picked up his tea cup. He smiled warmly at 002 and patted him on the shoulder. "Chin up, 002. 'Though she be but little, she is fierce!' quote from my pal, Shakespeare." He gave a sad smile and made his way back to the kitchen.

…

In the afternoon, Doctor Gilmore came to check on 0014. He also brought 001, who was now awake. 002 was almost dozing in his chair and was startled when Doctor Gilmore entered the room. "Good afternoon, 002. I brought 001, perhaps he can try tapping in to 0014 again. 002 nodded, and got out of his seat for him. Professor Gilmore put up a hand to stop him. "Please, stay seated and take 001. I will tend to 0014's drip and vitals," he explained as he handed 001 to 002. 002 cradled 001 in his arms and looked down at him, giving him sad smile. He was well used to handling 001 now and also enjoyed it. 001 communicated with 002 telepathically. – 002, there seems to be more activity in 0014's brain. I feel like the fog there is lifting.- 002 almost jumped up out of his seat. "Really? That's great new-!" 001's voice interrupted him – She is not out of the woods yet. Even if or when she wakes up, there could be irreversible damage done. She had never used her power in reverse before. It was almost the equivalent of an overdose. And prior to that, she was only moments from death." 002 shoulders slumped, hope filtered away again. "Keep talking to her like the others have been. It seems to be helping." Professor Gilmore now stood beside 002. "There have been many miraculous cases of people waking up from comas, 002. Don't lose faith, keep talking to her." 002 nodded. "Have you spoken to her, Doctor?" 002 asked. "Of course, 002. I tell her that we are all waiting for her to come back. We are a family now and have to take care of each other," he smiled warmly at 002. "Thanks, Doctor Gilmore. I need to talk to her more too. I just…. I just don't know what to say." Jet added, sadly. "You can try reading to her, like 007 did, or playing music. Anything that connects her back to us can't hurt. Here, let me put 001 down for his nap." Doctor Gilmore took 001 and made his way to the door. "Keep faith, Jet. It will all be okay," he smiled again, and left the room.

…

It was another dreary day, and sunlight faded fast as the weather turned stormy again. 006 had cleared away everything after dinner, saving a portion for 002. He had refused to come join them, even after 009 had asked him. He trotted down the hallway, no way was he allowing his delicious food to go to waste! He turned the corridor and walked into Professor Gilmore's lab. 002 was slouched in the chair at the head of bed. "002!" he stated curtly. The young cyborg almost jumped out of his skin, and looked at 006. "I have made a feast and I am not letting it go to waste! You normally eat enough for a family of four, so get your skinny behind down to the kitchen and eat! I am not taking no for an answer!" Under any under circumstances, 002 would have chuckled at the over dramatic little chef. Instead, he just raised his hands in defeat, and got up. "Thanks, 006." He said with a sad smile and left the lab. 006 was preparing for a confrontation and then realized he needed to simmer down. He looked over at 0014. "Poor girl, you are wasting away down here! I wonder if I blend up my special friend rice, could I stick it in your food tube or IV drip?" He sat down by the bedside, leaning forward with his arms on his knees. "0014, you need to come back to us. I have big plans for you. You are going to help me out at my restaurant back in Japan! I really need a waitress who won't take nonsense from annoying customers… maybe, since you calmed 002, we could train him in too! Those long arms of his could carry quite a few plates…." 006 knew he was just rambling, but he wasn't comfortable with getting emotional and sentimental. He sighed deeply. "Just, hurry back, okay? I have a few new dishes for you to try." And with that, he got up and headed back to the kitchen to make sure 002 ate all the food he had left for him.

…..

009 saw 006 leave Professor Gilmore's lab and head towards the kitchen. As he walked towards the room, he peeked in, seeing that 0014 was alone. He looked down the corridor again, to see if anyone else was around. 009 then walked in and pulled the door closed behind him. He took the seat at the head of the bed. "Hey, 0014. It's me, 009. Or Joe. I just wanted to tell you that you have to pull through. We have lost so many people at this point. I remember 0013, whom you may know as well…. He… he could have been part of our team. I never even got to find out his real name. But with you, we are now more than acquaintances. We are a stronger team because of you. I know that 002 is beating himself up about it. He believes that if you hadn't joined us on the dino hunt that this wouldn't have happened. However, he doesn't realize that if you hadn't shown up, R-03 would have destroyed us all easily. You, along with 005's help, saved our lives. While we strive for peace, I fear we may have more powerful enemies out to get us. We need you, 0014. Please get better. The team needs you," he took her hand gently, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand. Hearing the door open, he quickly dropped her hand and whipped his head around to see 002. "Hey, 002. I was just talking with 0014. Doctor Gilmore said it may help. So I figured no harm in trying." 002 shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, seems everyone knows what to say except me," he responded flatly. 009 smiled at him. "I am sure she knows you are here, 002. I will leave you two. Maybe I'll see you later for patrol, okay?" 002 nodded as 009 made his way to the door, stopping for a moment to rest a hand on 002's shoulder. "She saved our lives, 002. Imagine if she didn't show up." 002 winced at the thought. He turned to watch 009 leave. 'I should go on patrol tonight, I haven't helped them for the past couple of days.' Taking a deep breath, he sat down at the head of 0014's bed.

Jet tried to talk. He tried to think of something deep and fulfilling to say. The words were not forming. Nada. He hit his fists on his knees in frustration. "Goddamn it, Lily! I don't know what to say! Just… just come back! I can't lose you again!" Looking around, he noticed Lily's phone plugged into its charger at the wall. Before all this happened, she had been showing him how to use her smart phone. He had learned how to use it pretty quickly. He went over to the phone and picked it up. It had been set to silent. Unlocking the screen, "19 missed calls" and "12 messages" notifications appeared. Jet dismissed the messages by swiping them. He then accidently hit the app button, showing the recently used items. "Music" was labeled at the top of the screen. Jet hit the icon and the screen loaded. " _Snow Patrol- Signal Fire_ " was highlighted as the last played song. 'Well, Doctor Gilmore said music could help, let's see who this Snow Patrol is,' he thought as he hit play. Soft guitar and piano filled the room. Jet's ears pricked at the lyrics.

 _"The perfect words never crossed my mind  
'Cause there was nothing in there but you_

 _I felt every ounce of me  
Screaming out  
But the sound was trapped  
Deep in me"_

 _All I've wanted just sped right past me  
But I was rooted fast to the earth  
I could be stuck here for a thousand years  
Without your arms to drag me out"_

Jet felt a bit uncomfortable. These lyrics were hitting a bit too close to home. He looked at Lily sadly. She hadn't stirred. He leaned forward, holding his head in his hands, wishing he knew what to say or do…..

 _There you are, standing right in front of me  
There you are, standing right in front of me  
Forced fear falls away to leave me naked  
Hold me close  
'Cause I need you to guide me to safety_

Jet leaned back and slouched in the chair. He stared up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, listening to the melody.

 _No, I don't wanna wait forever….._

"Nooo, I don't wanna wait… forever…." Came a quiet, raspy voice. Jet's eyes shot open and he almost vaulted off his seat. His gaze locked on Lily.

Lily stared back at him, eyes hooded and sleepy. A small smile played on her lips. "In the confusion and the aftermath, you are my signal fire…" she rasped along with the singer. Jet blinked several times, and then moved forward, one knee wobbling as he grabbed onto the bed sheets. "Lily?" he squeaked.

 _The only resolution  
And the only joy  
Is the faint spark of forgiveness  
In your eye…_

"Sorry it took me so long to wake up, Firecracker," she croaked, as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. Jet still peered at her, on his knees at the bedside. "Lily? You're okay?" he whispered. Lily smiled at him, "Yeah, I think so. Felt like I was floating in space…. I could hear parts of what people were saying… How long was I out for?" Jet quickly stood up and took her hand. "Three, almost four days…I was here, the whole time. I was so worried about you." Lily placed a hand over his. "I know, I could feel you. All of you. You all brought me back." Jet then as gently as he could, wrapped his arms around her. She sighed in his embrace.

"You could really use a shower, Jet" Lily whispered.

"You too, Firefly" he whispered back.

…

Author's note: Phew! Really enjoyed writing this one! I totes stole then ending from Futurama, the episode where Leela falls into a coma after being stung by a baby space bee. Hope you like it! Proud of me for not killing off my character AGAIN? Think I got each Cyborg's thoughts okay? Well, either way, it was fun!

Oh, and that song was used in the Spiderman movie. Cos Toby Maguire is my BAE. Well, not before Jet but ya get meeeee…. KISSESSSSSSSSSS! Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	4. Chapter 4: Wall of Shame

Author's note: Hello! Yay for Lily not dying! Shout out to SomeoneForeign, you are a driving force behind this little project of mine, love getting your reviews! xxxxxxxxxxxx

…

Chapter 3: Wall of Shame

…..

006 bustled around the kitchen, serving plate after plate to 0014. Clad in an oversized hoody and her wet hair wrapped up in a towel, she shoveled food into her mouth as fast as 006 plated it. 002 looked on in amusement. "How about we just get you a trough to eat out of?" he smirked. "How abou yuu shup up," Lily responded through a mouthful. "Leave her alone, 002, she needs her strength! What do you think of my Lamian Lasagna?" 0014's head lolled back and she patted her stomach. "Suuu guuuud! Tkank yuu, zeru zeru six!" she mumbled. She pushed her chair back and stretched. "Oh, 002, did you not get the present 007 and I left on your bed, after you took off on the dino hunt? Or did you kill him already?" 0014 asked, smirking. "No, uhh, I haven't slept in my room in a few days. I'll go check it out now." Lily chuckled. He eyed her suspiciously and left. Slowly, the other cyborgs, except for 001 and 003 filtered in and took a seat at the table. When 002 had announced that 0014 was awake, they all squeezed into the lab to see her, only to be ushered away by 003, who then took her to the bathroom to clean up.

"LILY! WHAT IS THIS?!" 002's voice bellowed down the hall. 0014 looked at 007 and chuckled. "Told you he'd like it!" 002 skidded into the kitchen and slammed a sheet of paper down on the table. "This is NOT FUNNY." He glared at 0014, then 007. "To think, I was going out of mind with worry, and if…. If you didn't wake up, this is all I'd be left with?" Lily smiled up at 002. "Well, I didn't know I was gonna almost die, again." 009 sneaked his hand across the table and turned the sheet of paper over. It was a copy of the profile report for Doctor Ross that was to be filled in by Professor Gilmore, but 0014 and 007 had filled out their own version. 009 started to snicker. 002 stomped around, over to 007, grabbing him by the collar. 008 leaned over to 009 and started to read out loud.

Code: 00-Doo-doo

Name: "The one with the hair"

Age: OLD

Height: TALL

Ability: BEING TALL

Hair Color: SHOUTING

Eye Color: ANGER

002 pulled the paper away before they could read the rest. Everyone was in fits of laughter. 007 plucked it out of his hand, a giant bump forming on his forehead. 008 playfully held 002 back. "This needs to go on the wall of shame!" he announced and marched over to the fridge where there were several pieces of paper and photographs held on with colorful, souvenir magnets. He placed it beside the photograph of 002 and 0014 wearing flower crowns and spilling glasses of wine in her florist shop. "You know the rule, 002, once it goes on the wall, it cannot be removed!" 002 shoulders slumped. At least 80% of the wall was dedicated to making fun of him as it was.

Professor Gilmore and 003 carrying 001 entered the kitchen and took a seat next to 002. "I am so happy to hear laughter around here again! Are you feeling better, 0014?" Doctor Gilmore asked kindly. "Yes, Doctor. It felt like as soon as I woke up, my strength returned. Oh, and 006's amazing food helped too," she added, winking at 006. 007 cleared away the places from the table and 003 placed 001 in his basket. "I would like to run some tests on you later, 0014. I am curious to see how your energy levels have changed since you drained R-03. I would also appreciate it if you told us more about this cyborg." Lily nodded, and thanked 003 as she placed cups of coffee and tea in front of everyone. "Sure. I don't feel any different… but I am confused as to why I was knocked out so long." 001 then spoke to everyone – I believe it was due to R-03 being a far more powerful cyborg, and his power overloaded your system – 0014 thought for a moment. "I never got to thank you, 001. You saved my life. But, how did it work? How did I drain him, since he was much more powerful than me? His self-heal ability was instantaneous, whereas mine takes longer." – Because at that moment you were almost running on empty and were able to absorb his power faster than he could take yours. Imagine dropping a sponge into water. You were the sponge, and you soaked up all his power- 001 explained.

"How did you know how to destroy him, 0014? What you did was…. Pretty violent. I couldn't believe it when 009 told us," 003 queried, taking in all of 0014. 'She looks so small, and innocent…. Yet, she pulled that man's head clean off his shoulders…' 003 winced at the thought. 0014 rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, actually R-03 in avertedly reminded me… The sicko was sneering at the others, asking them how to destroy a self-healing cyborg. The answer was "pull her apart." I remembered from the test site, I saw another R Cyborg die this way. I saw that his skin and flesh was starting to crack and I called for 005 to help, as I knew 002 and 009 both took a large amount of damage. It was…. It was the worst thing I ever did." 0014 whispered, casting her gaze down. 002 looked down as well and flexed his right wrist, recalling how R-03 snapped it like a twig. 009's hand went to his stomach, remembering how it almost felt like R-03 punched straight through him.

"You did what you had to do, Lily." 002 spoke softly, placing a hand around her shoulder. "Yeah, 0014. You saved our lives," 009 added. 0014 looked up at 005 and he nodded at her, solemnly. 0014 could remember what he had said when he visited her bedside. She made a mental note to talk to him later.

"Please tell us what you know about these R cyborgs, 0014. We may have to face them again." 008's voice snapped 0014 out of her thoughts. She cleared her throat. "Well, I was introduced to R-01, R-02, and R-03. They were the next generation "Rejuvenation" cyborgs. I, as far as I know, am the last of the 00 prototype. After Professor Ryan's success with the self-heal qualities he designed in me, Black Ghost wanted that ability to be carried out in the next generation. The idea was to create cyborgs that are virtually immortal, able to heal any injury. At the test base, they pushed us to the limit." 0014's voice cracked. 002 rubbed her shoulder. "I was beaten and cut, so as to monitor my self-heal power. In battle, they learned that the adrenaline promotes faster healing time, so they set us up to battle each other constantly. As bad as that was for me, the Rejuvenation cyborgs had it worse. I saw them having their limbs ripped off and put back together. It seemed like only separation of the head and destroying the artificial spinal cord could kill them. We learned it the hard way….."

…

0014 ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She was too weak to use her accelerator. Hearing the pounding footsteps of R-01 and R-03 behind her, she kept her head down and continued running. The ground below her started to quake and move. Worm like robots shot up from the ground, firing lasers at the cyborgs. 0014 grinded to halt and dropped to the ground. R-01 caught up to her, and grabbed her by her scarf. "Get up, weakling. We were told if you are destroyed, we can have the privilege of destroying the 00 Rebels." 0014 turned and looked at the young woman. Her icy blue eyes bore through 0014. Her long red hair fanned out behind her. "Get real, we will all die here," growled 0014 and spat in her silver face. She ducked out from under R-01's grip and ran in the opposite direction. Another two huge worms shot up from the ground and loomed over 0014. R-01 was at her side again. 'I hope this plan works. Time to play dead.' She rolled her eyes back and fell forward, collapsing on the sand. "0014! She's…. dead? Or she fainted?" R-01 sneered. R-03 caught up to them, firing his laser blaster at the worms. Distracted by 0014, one of the worms dove down on top of R-01, wrapping itself around her slim body. "Noooo! R-01!" R-03 called out. The other worm coiled around the first, and then around R-01's head, muffling her screams. R-03 continued firing his laser. Then there was a crunch and a disgusting stretching sound. 0014 peeked out of one eye to see R-01's head being pulled off her body by the worms. R-03 was screaming and shooting at the worms frantically. The lasers ricocheted off their metallic bodies, and hit off R-01's decapitated form. Suddenly, her remains were alight; the smell of flesh and metal burning filled the air. "Noooooooooooooooooooo!" R-03 wailed. He turned to 0014. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" he kicked her square in the jaw. He kicked and punched her again and again until she coughed up blood. "THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE YOU! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIE!" Then suddenly, he was teleported away. So too was 0014.

0014 sat up on the floor of her personal cell. Professor Ryan stood at the entrance with two other scientists. "Congratulations, 0014. You will proceed to the next level. You are going to be sent to capture the 00 Rebels. 0014 looked up at him. Her mouth and nose bloody. She slowly nodded her head. "Thank you, sir. I will not let you down." She lay down on the floor of the cell, breathing deeply. She waited for her body to start healing, and tried to push the horrific images from her mind. 'Professor Ryan said it was the only way…. He had argued that R-Cyborgs are still too unstable to be sent after the 00 Rebels. Now, he proved it. So, we will meet the 00s and escape this hell on earth, just as we planned…..' 0014 squeezed her eyes shut and let darkness take over.

…..

0014 looked at the shocked faces at the table. 003 spoke first, "I am so sorry you had to go through that." 0014 gave her a sad smile. "I know all of you went through your own personal hell. I try to remind myself that this had to happen. Professor Ryan took control of those worms. It killed him to do so, but he saw how R-01 and R-03 were. They were evil people, even before they were changed. Hell bent to destroying anything that comes their way. They were working with Black Ghost and volunteered themselves to be changed into cyborgs." 0014 explained. "What about R-02?" 007 asked. 0014 thought for a moment. "I honestly do not know. I met her only once. She was a quiet girl, in her mid to late 20's. Tall with black hair. I don't know if she is dead or alive. She certainly was not like R-01 and R-03 in personality, but possessed the same powers; accelerator, rejuvenation, and super strength."

"We will have to stay vigilant then, if she is alive, she could be sent for us at any time," 004 added. "Thank you for sharing what you know, 0014. Can you please follow me down to the lab, I wish to run some tests on you, please," Professor Gilmore stated. 0014 nodded and got up from the table, pulling the towel off her head. Her wavy brown hair fell to her shoulders. "Now, I already have all the data I collected from you when we picked you and 002 up from New York. I wish to compare your readings now," Professor Gilmore explained, as 0014 followed him to the lab.

…

About an hour later, 0014 was almost nodding off back in the bed in Doctor Gilmore's lab. He was taking note of her vitals and tracking her systems through a series of wires connected to her temples, wrists, and ankles. 002 sat at the end of the bed. "Hmmm, interesting," Professor Gilmore muttered. 0014 and 002 looked over at him. "What is it, Doc?" 002 asked. "Well, 0014's self-heal ability seems to have been altered, it seems to be working faster now." 0014 raised an eyebrow at him. "Sooo, that is a good thing, right?" Doctor Gilmore scratched his chin. "Yes, on paper at least. But we won't know the extent without testing." 0014 nearly jumped off the bed, she pulled her knees up to her chest. "No, no, no way," she blurted out. "Calm down, 0014. I would never cause you harm by performing inhumane tests. What I mean is, when in battle again and if you have to use your ability, it may manifest differently, and hopefully more effectively. Perhaps, like the bond you share with 002, you created a bond with R-03 and his power may have had an effect on yours. But that is just a theory, we may know more in time. All your vitals are fine, so I would say to not worry." 0014 breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay. You scared me." Doctor Gilmore smiled warmly at her. "I am sorry about that. You are free to go. Why don't you and 002 head out to explore the town tonight? We are going to be leaving early tomorrow back to Japan, so it would be your last chance to see the place." 002 smiled, "Do you want to, 0014?" She fidgeted with the bed sheet. "Hmmm, I don't know, I do have patrol hours to catch up on," she answered, thoughtfully. "Nonsense, you are still technically on a rest period after what you went through, doctor's orders!" Doctor Gilmore said smiling. "Go on, you two, and enjoy yourselves." 0014 removed the sticky tabs of the wires from her skin. "Thank you so much again, Doctor Gilmore, for everything," he smiled at them warmly as they left the lab.

…..

Author's note: How does 002 put up with the abuse? I love when they pick on him in the show!

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. KISSSSSSSSSSESSSSSSSS! Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	5. Chapter 5: Mesilla

Author's note: I am catching feelings *weeeeeeeeeeeeep*

Thanks to SomeoneForeignnnnnnn! Don't worry about not having time to review. I gotta get back to work/study soon too oahahhahafeelingnooooadultingnooooooooooo. xxxxxxxxxxxx

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Chapter 5: Mesilla

….

As they walked from the Dolphin into town, Lily babbled on the phone. "Hello, Cathy? Sorry for returning your calls so late, was out on a mission. All okay in the florist shop? And the house?" Cathy had just called to check in and all was going well. She and Jimmy were settled in at the new house and she quit her job at the café in order to be at the florist full time. Lily smiled as Cathy told her about sales and shipments. She passed the phone over to Jet so that he could have a few words with her and Jimmy. He quickly put his hand over the phone, for fear that people on the street would hear Jimmy yelling, "JET! YOU ARE 002! YOU ARE THE BESSSSST! WILL YOU TEACH ME TO FLY?! WHAT IS MS. LILY'S CODE? WHAT ARE HER POWERS?!" Lily laughed at Jet's pained expression. "Jimmy, I don't know what you are talking about but the line is breaking down, I have to go, bye!" and Jet thrust the phone back to Lily, who was still laughing. Next, she checked in with Alice. "Hey, hi, Alice? Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, yes I'm alive, sorry, sorry my phone was… uhh, stolen?" Jet raised an eyebrow at her. Lily mouthed back, 'what?' How could she tell Alice she was in a coma for three days after decapitating an enemy cyborg? Alice was just all questions on her travels and Lily tried to be as vague as possible. After what seemed like an eternity of interrogation, she finally put her phone in her bag.

"So, what is this town called?" Lily asked Jet as they walked hand in hand through the narrow streets of white washed houses. Flowers and vines hung from overhead terraces. "It's called Mesilla," he replied looking around as though searching for something. "009 said there was a nice restaurant around here somewhere," he added. Lily did not mind rambling around, this was her first time being out of the Dolphin in days. Same for Jet seeing as he stayed by her bedside as much as possible.

"Ah, I think this is it," he announced excitedly, pulling her inside. After a few words with the seating host, they were directed upstairs to a table out on the terrace. "Ohhh, Jet, look! It's beautiful!" Lily squealed, running over to the railing and looking out over the twinkling lights of the old center. Jet's heart did a funny beat looking at her. He had been so worried that she would not wake up and now, here she was, as loud as ever, hanging over the railing and smiling out at the city, wearing a blue button down and jeans with a red flower pin holding her messy hair up in a bun. Other people in the restaurant turned around to look at the two, probably wondering who the blow-ins were.

Once sat at the table, the waiter came and welcomed them. "Would you like to try our house wine tonight?"

"Yes."

"Glass or bottl-?"

"Bottle. Each. Please," Lily smiled up at the waiter. Once their food was ordered and wine poured, Lily rested her elbows on the table and looked out over the city again. "Thanks for bringing me here, Jet." He smiled and looked at her. "Well, it will be last time I take you anywhere if you don't get your elbows off the table," he scolded playfully. "Oh, look at you, manners police." Jet chuckled. "Yeah, my dad used to knock our elbows off the table whenever me and Frankie did that." Lily raised her brow. It was the first time he referred to his older brother by name. Lily moved her elbows and gave him a small smile. She picked up her glass of wine to cheers with him. "What are we cheering to?" she asked. "To you, for not dying. Again," he smiled. She winked at him. "At least we can't say our lives are boring, right?" Jet chuckled. "Right, but I feel like I could do with a boring spell after this. Hopefully things will be quieter in Japan." Lily nodded. "I am excited to go. I was supposed to live there for a year, before everything happened…. Did you like it?" Jet thought for a moment. "In hindsight, yes. But at the time I was in a bad way after destroying the base. I am looking forward to going back for a while with a fresh start. We have our own base there at Dr. Kozumi's house. Oh, and it's right beside the beach." Lily's eyes lit up. "Really? How nice!" Jet looked out over the city again. Lily could sense that something was on his mind.

"Jet, what's wrong? Don't bother saying nothing." Jet looked at her and twitched his lips. "Let's not spoil tonight; we can talk about it another time." Alarm bells rang in Lily's ears. "No way, I cannot enjoy the night knowing something is on your mind. Please tell me now." Jet turned towards her but did not look her in the eye and whispered "I feel guilty." Lily frowned. "Why?" Jet sighed. He really did not want to discuss this now. The thoughts had been going around and around in his head while she was in the coma. "Because I couldn't save you. I couldn't do anything, after that basta- cyborg… broke my hand and nearly knocked my lights out. He could have killed you right in front of me, and there was nothing I could have done," Jet made sure to speak in a hushed voice, "and now you are here being all cute as ever, as though nothing happened." He breathed out deeply. "There will be more fights in our future. I don't know if I can handle seeing you like that again. I want to say that'll I protect you… but…"

Lily lifted her glass of wine and stared him down. "What should I do, Jet? Lock myself away and not fight? I understand that you worry, but there is no other option." Jet tensed. "Yes, you are right. I just…. I…." Lily looked at him thoughtfully. Worry was written all over his face. "After all, you are the one that told me our strength comes from being in a team. We protect each other. We do what we can and work together, okay?" she added in a quiet but fierce voice. Jet nodded. "I…" he paused again and looked down. "I guess I am not used to the idea of you being so tough. I don't want you to be in situations like this. I don't want it to change you."

"How can it change me?" she asked. Jet was about to answer when the waitress brought out their food. She quickly served them and turned on her heel, sensing tension in the air. Jet cleared his throat. "I don't want you to end up like me. Cold, brash, insensitive, angry…. And other choice words 003 and 004 have thrown at me." He added, dropping his gaze. Lily was stunned. She was ready to fight him on equality; that she can and will fight. But he was concerned about her emotional well-being, though he did not explain himself well. She thought about her response carefully, seeing how uncomfortable he was. "I don't see those traits in you, Jet…. I am able to detach myself from what happens when I am 0014. I sure you have learned to do the same, when you are 002, or when you were Jet Link in the 60's." Jet looked at her in surprise. "No, I guess I haven't. Honestly, I only see myself as 002 now. I tried to be Jet again in New York," he whispered. "What about with me, who are you then?" Jet paused, a small smile playing on his lips. "With you, and only you, I am Firecracker, somewhere between Jet and 002." Lily smiled back at him. "With you, I am Lily. But there will be times when I have to be separate from that. It's something we will have to work on. I only want you to be 002 when in uniform." Jet smiled warmly at her and as she picked up her glass. "A new cheers, cheers to us, for trying to be normal." Jet clinked his glass to hers, "Here's to being Jet and Lily, totally normal… people."

…

Lily was on the last of her wine. She stared down at the candle on the table burning out. Much to her disapproval, Jet had got up to go pay for their dinner. She thought about their conversation, how he worried about her. Smiling to herself, she realized she was very lucky to have someone worry about the things that never actually crossed her mind. She did not think about the aftermath of the fight with R-03. 'I guess when something… traumatic happens to someone, they don't think about how they'll cope. Other people worry about that…' Her pushed the fight from her mind and focused on Jet. They were more open with each other now and spent the rest of the dinner discussing plans for travel once they get a break from scouting for other cyborgs.

A kiss on top of her head brought her back. "Hey, I have a surprise for you." He rested his hands on top of her shoulders. "Hmmmmm? Whatcha do?" Jet smiled down at her. "This restaurant is also a little hotel. I booked us in for the night." Lily's jaw dropped. "You didn't! Ohhh my gosh! But, will they get mad at us for staying out? Ohh but thank you!" He chuckled at her response. "Nope, I called them. All is good. We just got to be back early for the flight back to Japan. I volunteered us for double duty on board so we can make up for playing hookie tonight," he winked at her. Lily reached up, lightly grabbing his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss. "Lead the way, Firecracker."

…..

At 2am, Lily sat out on the little terrace of their hotel room, wrapped in just a blanket. She rested her feet on the balcony railing and stared out over view of Mesilla. Streetlight flickered and a low hum of music carried through the night air. The open shutters behind her led to the bedroom, where Jet slept in a tangle of linen. She sighed heavily, trying to her best to take in everything that happened tonight. It was their first time out on a proper date since they met. They also had not had any alone time since New York. Sneaking around the Dolphin was just too awkward. She turned to look at Jet's sleeping form, in a starfish position, taking up all the bed, of course. A smile spread across her face. He looked so peaceful now. Lily knew he had so much on his mind, a mix of guilt and fear. Remembering the snippets of conversation the others had with her during her coma, she is almost certain he did not discuss anything with them. Jet is not the sort. He closes himself up. 'He stayed with me, all those days. I can't even imagine what that was like for him… he must really love me.'

As intimate as they were now, Lily was not foolish. She knew very well he had other darker demons inside him. He had been so hurt before. She could tell by the way he carried himself. Only the most sensitive and insecure people held up such a guard. There were times, when back in her home in New York, he would twist and turn in his sleep. Or she would wake up to the sound of him grinding his teeth. Even when he slept, he was on edge. Hopefully in time, he would open up to her more and let her support him, so he could be the playful, relaxed, soft Jet she knew was there, deep down. She hoped to lead by example. After all, she herself was a very open person and took the chance to laugh whenever possible. Lily smiled sadly to herself, 'Probably because my family was so close and caring. Poor Jet didn't have an upbringing like mine.'

She got up and walked back into the bedroom, the blanket trailing along the ground. She carefully got into bed, so as not to wake him, and curled up beside him. He shifted slightly and his arm found her waist, pulling her in closer. "Firefly…" he muttered in his sleep. Lily smiled into his shoulder and whispered, "Love you, Firecracker."

….

The following morning, they had breakfast on their private balcony. "I'm gonna miss this place," Lily sighed. "Yeah, me too. But, we already made plans for our travels last night, remember?" Lily smiled and stretched. "Yesssss. Disneyland first!" Jet scowled at her. "God no. Italy." Lily pouted. "Fine, but then I get to choose after it, okay?" Jet waved dismissively. "Sure, sure. I thought you'd want to visit somewhere, what's the word, botanical, first?" Lily smirked, "Oh, I do, but I wanted to be a princess before I wanted to become a botanist, so don't take my dream from me!" Jet eyed her up and down. "You don't seem like the princess type. I can't imagine you, puffy dresses and grace." Lily waved her hand dismissively at him. "Lawd no, I wanted to be Mulan! A princess who could fight!" Jet chuckled and glanced at his watch. "We better get back to the Dolphin, Lily. You ready?" Lily sighed. "No. You go on without meeeee." Jet got up and took her by the hand. "Come on, I am not getting stuck with kitchen clean up by myself. You are going down with me." Lily refused to get up and Jet pulled her, pulling the chair too. "The quicker we get this done, the quicker we get to Disneyland," he bargained. And with that Lily was up and heading out the door of their room.

….

Author's note: Okay, just a fluffy little chapter :D

Now, I know the next arc of the series follows the Mythos Cyborg and all that Greek God stuff. I don't know whether to follow that, or explore my own story while they set up base in Japan….. or post some shorts, as in, time skips and all that…. Hmmmm, suggestions?! Part of me wants to have parts where Lily fights and puts all those stupid hoes in their place (let's be fair, female characters in this series are WEAK….. maybe I can bring R-02 into the story?). Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	6. Chapter 6: Safe and Sound

Author's note: Shout out with a megaphone to SomeoneForeign for the ideas! Gonna throw a mix in here. I like trying to develop their relationship even more… so yaaaaaaaay! :D

Warning: Lots of songs. This is how I write! And study! And do everything….. All my YouTube is Boyce Avenue cos I am basic Afffffffffffffff.

Also, my timeline is now in winter (Firecracker was set in the Fall) cos where I live is hot as balls and I am dreaming of colder months. :3

…..

Chapter 6: Safe and Sound

….

Nodding her head to the simple and beautiful guitar melody, Lily leaned forward on the stool opposite Jet on the little make shift stage. String lights created a soft glow above them, and the rest of the winter lights twinkled around the restaurant. It was now late November and the entire town was lit up for Christmas. Candles flickered on tables as conversation lowered to hushed whispers. Everyone stared at the young couple, both clad in simple white button down shirts rolled to the elbows and blue jeans. Jet focused on the strings and Lily's hand wrapped around the microphone as she began to sing;

 _I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go  
When all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said don't leave me here alone  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

Their gazes locked as he joined in her in singing the chorus;

 _Just close your eyes, the sun is going down  
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now  
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound_

Then Jet sang by himself. Lily looked out into the crowd, seeing the widened eyes of their team mates. 006 and 007 gave a little muted applause. The rest smiled on.

 _Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire  
The war outside our door keeps raging on  
Hold onto this lullaby even when the musics gone, gone_

Francoise leaned over to Joe. "I never knew Jet could sing so well!" she whispered, excitedly. Joe nodded, placing his hand over his mouth, "I heard him singing in the shower sometimes," Francoise giggled quietly. "But this is different. This type of music suits him," Joe continued. Albert spied a look around the establishment. Everyone was focused on the performance. Some people even swayed in their seats. Another couple of people peeked in through the entrance doors and the seating hostess dashed over to greet them. "GB, this was a great idea! Even more people are coming in!" Chang whispered. GB gave a little bow. They turned their attention back to the stage as the song finished. Applause rang out around the room.

Lily smiled as everyone quietened, except for GB who was shouting "Bravo!" from the back. "Thank you everyone. That song was 'Safe and Sound', dedicated to our wonderful teammates, who always keep us safe and sound." Awes and a "Wooo hoooo!" from Chang filled the silence. "This next song is a bit more fitting to us. I am sure you know it, it's 'Fast Car'. Thank you." Jet smiled and started to strum again. Lily reached down, picking up a little shaker and Tambourine. Lily started the song again;

 _You got a fast car  
I got a plan to get us out of here  
I been working at the convenience store  
Managed to save just a little bit of money  
Won't have to drive too far  
Just 'cross the border and into the city  
You and I can both get jobs  
And finally see what it means to be living_

Jet leaned forward to the microphone as Lily continued to keep the beat with the shaker;

 _You see my old man's got a problem  
He live with the bottle that's the way it is  
He says his body's too old for working  
His body's too young to look like his  
My mama went off and left him  
She wanted more from life than he could give  
I said somebody's got to take care of him  
So I quit school and that's what I did_

Lily looked at him, recalling all those times on the roof of Dr. Kozumi's house, playing and practicing. She had convinced him to gain confidence in singing by singing what had meaning to him. Surprisingly, he chose Fast Car, after hearing different covers online. She smiled at him singing softly with his eyes closed. She took over again for the next short chorus;

 _You got a fast car  
Is it fast enough so we can fly away  
We gotta make a decision  
Leave tonight or live and die this way_

Jet felt his heart flutter as he looked out at all the smiling faces in the crowd. Joe gave him a little thumbs up. He nodded as he joined Lily for the chorus;

 _So remember we were driving, driving in your car  
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk  
City lights lay out before us  
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder  
I had a feeling that I belonged  
I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone_

They two continued the set with several more songs and ended with Jet's dedication to Lily; 'Signal Fire'. The restaurant erupted in applause when they finished. The place was now full, many people standing with drinks as all the tables were occupied. Jet took Lily's hand as they got down off the stage and went to the storage room to leave their instruments. Once out of sight of the crowd, he pulled her in for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and looked down at her. "Thank you for convincing me to do this, Lily." She smiled back up at him. "You were FANTASTIC, Jet! You stole the show. Let's go out and see the others, they'll agree with me," she moved towards the door but Jet pulled her back. "You look so beautiful, everyone had their eyes on you," he whispered, this thumb stroking her freckled cheek. Lily's face turned scarlet. "No, no. I'm nothing to look at," he replied, staring down. Jet guided her by her chin back to his gaze, "Don't do that…" She was about to argue back when the door swung open and in charged Chang. "Oh my goodness! The place is full! I want you back here singing again, thank you so much!" He pulled them down into a hug, floods of tears streaming out of his eyes. "Alright, water works, you're welcome! C'mon, let's all get a drink," Jet announced patting his shoulder.

….

Jet and Lily sat with the rest of their team mates at the table. Everyone chattered about the upcoming holidays. Lily found herself zoning out a bit, realizing that this would be the first holiday season she would be away from her family. She quickly swallowed down the thought. She was with a crowd of people who had the same story as her, many much more sorrowful. Over the past couple of weeks, she had got to know her team mates better since they were now all set up in Japan. It was a bit harder on board the Dolphin when traveling, as they were on constant alert and ran patrols here and there on their way. She was much closer to Chang and GB as they were much more fun than the rest of the group. The trio were often seen (or rather _, heard_ ) in the kitchen. Lily was learning how to cook from Chang and therefore spent time with him in the kitchen helping with the food prep. Although she had her internal translator, she was not yet so confident in speaking Japanese with customers.

Lily looked around the table. Everyone seemed at ease. She took a sip of her drink, thinking how lucky she was to have ended up in this group, given her circumstance. Not that they could ever replace her old friends, but she still felt lucky to have them. After all, if it was not for the cyborg project, she would never have met them, especially the first generation. She felt Jet's hand rest on her knee. Lily looked up at him as he gave her a wink. 'Yep, definitely lucky,' she thought. But she felt a squeeze of sadness again at the pit of her stomach. She rested her hand over it, as though it was a physical pain. Jet's arm found its way around her shoulders. "You okay?" he whispered quietly. Lily nodded, "Yeah, just holiday talk. Holiday equals family." Jet gave her a little squeeze. "How about we get out of here and walk home together?" Lily nodded, thankful that Jet could pick up on what she was feeling.

…

The waves lapped on the shore lazily as Jet and Lily walked hand in hand. "We look good matching tonight. Maybe we'll do this next time too," Jet smiled at her. Lily tugged at the end of her shirt and chuckled to herself, recalling her breakdown in a store with Francoise. She was trying to get her to try on dresses and Lily was having none of it.

"Come on, Lily, you would look so great in this!" Francoise cooed excitedly, holding up a lilac abomination with RUFFLES. "No, Francoise. That is not my style. I don't do dresses. I have one skirt and it's enough." Francoise's shoulders dropped. "But you should make an effort for the performance," she pouted. "Francoise, I will buy that dress for YOU if you get off my back, deal?"

"So, what's troubling you, Firefly?" Lily sighed trying to find the right words. "I really miss my family, Jet. It's hit hard lately and I don't know what to do." Jet stopped walking and motioned for Lily to sit down at the base of the sand dune. Lily looked at him sadly, "I'm sorry. I am so happy to be here with you, with all of you. But… I just can't help thinking of them, back at home. Rosa and the twins would be back home from university. Mama would be arranging parties with her Spanish friends. Or, would they? I wonder how me being gone has changed…." Lily mumbled, digging her feet into the sand. Jet wrapped an arm around her. "I don't know what to say, Lily. I can't relate to you." She looked at him but his eyes were hidden under his bangs. "Christmas was not a big deal for my family. It was the same as every other day. But, I knew the other kids around were having a good time and that got to me," Jet continued quietly. Lily leaned into him and wrapped her arm around his back. "There were some holidays that I spent with friends' families, and those were pretty nice. Even last Christmas, it was just us, the team I mean. Francoise went off to Paris. It was simple but we had good food, drinks, and people talked to fill the silence. At least this year, I have you," he turned to her smiling.

Lily felt her stomach sink. She felt terrible. 'Here I am, having a pity party about my Christmas and Jet never had a family like mine…. Never had a Christmas like mine….' Lily gave him a sad smile and looked out at the sea. 'I can't talk to him about this. It's not fair,' a tear threatened but Lily blinked it away. Jet stared out at the waves too. "You know, I'd prefer if we were on high alert. It takes my mind off things," he said quietly. Lily nodded, "Yeah, I get that. Looks like everything seems have to settled down." Jet took her hand, causing her to look at him. "I hope so, Lily. I never want to go through what we did again. I don't want to lose you." Lily pushed him playfully. "C'mon, Jet. I can take on anyone. Don't worry!" Jet pushed her back lightly. "Here I am tryna have a moment with you." Lily chuckled glad of the change of subject. "Jet, you should be only supporting your girlfriend; I'm the indestructible one after all!" Lily crossed her arms and gave him a smug look. Jet sighed and gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, but if anything happens, I won't lose my girlfriend, I'll also lose my best bud." Lily raised her eyebrows. "I thought Joe was your best bud?" Jet chuckled, "Nah, he's too much of a wet blanket. Bud, but not best bud." Lily looked a little closer and saw that he was blushing slightly and then threw her arms around him. "Naaaaawwwwww! You're my best bud too! But you gotta stop worrying about this fight stuff. If I was a guy, you'd only be egging me on." Jet squeezed her tightly. "Fine, I'll do my best not to worry, and let you go and get yourself killed." Lily nuzzled into his neck. "And I'll tag you in, just like in wrestling, okay? We're a team, you and I. Remember that. You seem hell bent on protecting me. Maybe I am the one to protect you?" Jet turned to look at her, seeing that she was no longer joking. "Then I am the lucky one, Lily," and with that he pulled her in for a kiss.

…..

Propped up on his elbow, Jet stared at Lily. She was sprawled on her side of the bed, one arm draped over her face and snoring slightly. He smiled to himself. 'Yeerp. I'm the lucky one.' The house was empty as everyone was still out at Chang's restaurant, so they took advantage of this. He reached over and plugged her nose with his thumb and index finger. Lily flayed her arms and woke with a jolt, smacking him away. He laughed at her expression and wheezing. "Jet! Why?!" she gasped. "Just because, _buddy_ ," he smiled at her playfully. Lily grabbed the pillow and whacked him lightly. "I don't think buds do what you did to me, pal. In fact, I don't think that's legal for unmarried couples in many cultures," she smirked at him. Jet reached over and ruffled with her hair. "Well, what if we did get married?" he asked smiling. Lily hooked an eyebrow at him. "Pfffft, yeah right. Francoise would have a heart attack if us trash people got married before her and Prince Joe," Lily snorted. Jet laughed, "Yeah that would be a shocker." Lily sat up, wrapping the bed sheet around her. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the marrying type, Jet. Isn't it something that strikes fear in the hearts of men?" she asked coyly. Jet lay back and put his arms behind his head. "Heh, I never thought of myself as the relationship type either, till I met you. Lily Link. Has a nice ring to it, right?" he teased. Lily hit him with a pillow again. "Oh stop. Plus, my name is too good to change, so no deal," she winked at him. Her ears pricked at a door opening downstairs.

Jet pulled her close to his chest as his hands trailing down her lower back. He tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered, "Silent mode?" Lily nodded and kissed him back, rolling on top of him….

…..

In the early hours of the morning, Jet lay curled behind Lily with one arm wrapped around her waist, the other under her knees. He nuzzled into her neck. She felt warm. Much warmer than before. At first he thought he was imagining it but now he knew for sure. Ever since the coma, her temperature ran a little higher than it used to. Though technically his body temperature was now lower than a human, he noticed that Lily's was now closer to what used to be "normal". He recalled how Dr. Gilmore had explained to them that Lily was more like Francoise. They were the most human of the cyborgs. Lily's only evasive surgeries were the procedures for her internal transmitter, translator, detector (since removed of course) heart, spinal cord and artificial skin. Her rejuvenation ability worked from her heart and spinal cord to the rest of her cells. Dr. Gilmore compared it to nano technology but without the robotics. He was still unsure, as only dangerous evasive surgery could show more. Lily called it black magic and chaos. Duh. Whatever it was that kept her going, Jet accepted it. After all, some degree of magic had to be involved in keeping them all moving….

Jet smiled to himself. 'Only another month before we set off on our travels. New York, Orlando, then over to Italy, Sicily, Croatia, Germany, Switzerland….. then, somewhere else.' Jet smiled to himself, trying to remember the whole list they had planned that night in Mesilla. 'Just hope nothing comes up to mess this up for us….. Aw man, I'm gonna jinx it!' Lily stirred in her sleep. Jet tensed but then she relaxed again. 'She rarely has nightmares now. I just wish I could make her happier, about this whole holidays thing. I wish I understood what she misses. I just wish I was enough for her…' Lily stirred again and turned in her sleep, cuddling up close to him. Jet stroked her hair. 'I just wish I could be enough family for her…' he pulled her close and kissed her on her forehead.

…

Author's note: More songs. Sorry, not sorry! Saw so many cute pictures of Jet playing guitar sooooooo… this is how the clogs in my brain worked.

Just worried I have made him too soft…? I dunno. He strikes me as an absolute softie with the right people. Also loved his reincarnation in the VS Devilman series. He was much softer, spoken and cuddly with the mystery woman. (Eva from the manga?!) So yes, working with that image!

I also want to work on Lily a bit more. I guess I don't want to run the risk of her being too perfect or anything. Ehhh.

Bit of drama coming up next. And feels. Yaaaaaaaaaasssssss. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	7. Chapter 7: If You had Left

Author's note: Okay, so decided to do moaaaar filler with my own creation snazzy stuff *ahem* some drama, some action, some something-something. Let's see how this goes!

…

Chapter 7: If you had left

….

Lily walked barefoot along the water's edge, deep in thought. Even though it was now the 22nd of December, the cold had no effect on her reinforced skin. She bent down to pick up a little sliver shell. "Could use this as a Christmas decoration, it's so pretty," she murmured to herself, placing in it safely in the pocket of her jeans. She then sighed at the thought. From November to December, Lily felt a switch inside her. Her home sickness grew and grew. She began to distance herself from everyone lately, preferring to spend time alone. A _zoooom_ caught her attention and she looked up to see Jet streak across the sky on patrol.

It had been two months since they settled in Japan. Nobody wanted to let their guard down, but there did not seem to be any danger. No alerts from 001, no strange news stories, and no gut feelings.

For the time being, Lily and Jet decided to stay in Dr. Kozumi's house with Doctor Gilmore, Ivan, Francoise, and Joe. Lily was more enthusiastic about this at first, since she was used to being around family or friends, but Jet was not so keen. However, he eventually came round to the idea and for the most part, everyone got along well.

Lily split her time up between renovating Dr. Kozumi's garden, roping Jet and Joe into help whenever possible, and attending lectures on botany and toxicology. She also attended Japanese lessons and with Joe's help, was now able to hold her own. Understanding Japanese was fine, since she had her internal translator, but now she was also able to speak and understand the writing at an almost intermediate level. Lily also helped out at Chang's restaurant in the kitchen and as a waitress. Although she had a steady income from the florist shop, she and was glad to be able to practice Japanese even more so. Last week, she and Jet performed another set together at the restaurant, both singing and Jet playing guitar. It went just as well as last time and Chang made them promise to perform again after the holidays.

When Jet wasn't with Lily, he worked on maintaining the Dolphin ship with G Jr. and Pyunma. He also ran errands with Joe when he helped out at Chang's restaurant. Lily was trying to convince him to offer guitar lessons, especially to children, but so far he had not warmed up to the idea. It took weeks for Chang to convince him to perform at his restaurant, so Lily knew not to expect miracles with her stubborn partner. He, along with Pyunma and Albert, he did most of the patrols.

With Christmas fast approaching, the group had finalized their plans for the holidays. Francoise and Joe decided to stay in Japan with Dr. Gilmore, since last Christmas was a disaster for her when she returned to Paris. Albert and Chang planned to go to London with GB. Pyunma expressed that he wanted to return home, even just for a week. G Jr. also planned to spend the holidays in Arizona. Jet and Lily decided they would return to New York for New Year's, and to then start their travels in the States and Europe.

This was going to be Lily's first Christmas away from her family, and the reality of this still had not set in. Every time she found herself getting excited for the holidays, she would feel a pang in her chest. She found herself admiring decorations or gifts, thinking how much her family would enjoy them. She shuddered recalling how two days ago, when in town with Jet, she bought a delicate silver necklace. "Oh Jet, isn't this pretty?" she squealed excitedly, opening the little green box on the street. "Yeah, who is for?" he asked, smiling at her buzz. "For Rosa!" as soon as the name left her lips, Lily froze. Jet breathed deeply. He knew who Rosa was. "I'm sorry. I forgot. I can't give this to my sister." Lily mumbled, snapping the box shut. Jet reached out to her but she pulled away, "Come on, Jet, we better get home." She called out flatly, walking quickly with her gaze down. The green box was now housed away out of sight in the dresser of the room she shared with Jet.

Lily pushed the thoughts of her family to the back of her mind and started to walk back to the house. She needed to get ready to go to Chang's restaurant for an evening shift. Out of all the 00's and asides from Jet, Lily still felt closest to Chang and GB. They were always fun and friendly. Every evening at the restaurant resulted in jokes and banter. She preferred this as it kept the sad emotions from stirring up. Since the coma incident, Lily made a huge effort with the team. She often went on walks with G Jr. Even though they sometimes just walked in silence, it was comfortable. They had discussed what happened with R-03 and shared their fears of what else could happen. She also told him about how much she missed her family, without even realizing. One moment, they were by the beach, meditating to the sound of the waves. The next, tears streamed down her cheeks as she told him about how much she missed them. "They think I am dead. Black Ghost sent home my remains, my DNA on some other poor soul. But, how can I pretend that they no longer live? That they are there, back in New Orleans, living without me? How do I live without them?" Lily knew he would not tell anyone, and he told her how he too missed his own people. She did not feel comfortable bringing up this issue with the others, including Jet, since last time she felt worse for doing so. With G Jr.'s arms around her, Lily cried and cursed, and cried, safe from everyone else's pity and uncomfortable, hollow words.

At the time, Lily felt guilty for turning to G Jr. instead of Jet. She worried that her own sadness, when allowed to erupt, would be too much for him. She knew that he did not have a loving family like hers. Maybe she thought he would not understand, or that it would upset him. He always let her know that he was there if she wanted to talk, but she was still somewhere between the shock of losing her family and mourning the loss of the life she had. She and was not ready to actively sit and discuss how she knows they cannot be together, but her heart does not understand. She knew he was upset that she was closing herself up, but she hoped it would all calm down after the holidays.

Asides from the breakdown with G Jr., Lily managed to swallow down her sorrow when around the others. But it was clear to everyone else that something was troubling the usually cheerful young woman.

Lily let herself into the house, seeing Francoise walking down the hall, holding Ivan's bottle. "Hi, Lily. Are you going to Chang's restaurant tonight?" Lily nodded. Their relationship was for the most part, fairly strained. They had gotten along very well onboard the Dolphin after Lily regained consciousness. However, now at Dr. Kozumi's house, Lily felt like Francoise was not only from a different era, but was living it. She was always so prim and proper, Lily practically felt like a Neanderthal next to her. Today, she was wearing a soft, pastel blue skirt, white stockings, and a pale blush blouse, buttoned up to the collar, with a black lace ribbon tied in a bow. Lily wore baggy, ripped jeans rolled up at the ankles and an oversized sweater that had clearly seen better days. Go figure.

Francoise played the award winning role as housewife and pined after Joe. She was aghast when she initially learned that Lily and Jet would stay in room together, but did not express any opinion. From what Lily could see, she and Joe definitely had chemistry, but no solid connection. They did not seem comfortable around each other and acted like shy teenagers. They rarely spent time alone. She had spoken to Lily about it but their opinions were too different. She wanted Joe to be a suitor, whereas Lily's advice was to take initiative. Despite the time gap, Lily knew that she and Jet worked well together due to their similar personalities and playful attitudes. Even if they had not ended up as lovers, she is certain they would have been friends regardless. He was also embracing current culture and views, though she did worry that he was being over protective of her. He walked to her to and from work or classes, despite her telling him he does not have all the time. Her mind still fogged with anxiety over the upcoming holidays, Lily raced upstairs to get ready for work, thankful that it would keep her distracted.

…..

Closing the front door behind her, Lily caught a glance at Jet waiting for her at the end of the path. She forced a smile and walked up to him, allowing him to pull her in for a kiss. "Hey, missed you all day. Saw you walking on the beach earlier." Lily nodded, "Missed you too," but her tone was not convincing. They started strolling side by side along the road. "Lily? I'm worried about you, you don't seem happy lately. Have I done something wrong?" Jet asked quietly. Lily's footsteps slowed further. "No. It's not you. I am getting tired of everyone asking the same thing." Jet came to a stop. "It's because we are worried about you, won't you please talk to me?" he sounded desperate, his voice full of worry.

Lily sighed heavily. "Look, I am sorry I can't be happy 100% of the time for you, or anyone. I just want to bypass all this holiday crap, start the new year, and go travel. All this Christmas stuff is upsetting for me, I thought I would be okay… but I'm not. I miss them so much. I thought I had made peace with it…." Jet looked at her sadly. "Lily, I am not expecting you to be happy, but maybe if you talk with me or someon-" Lily interrupted and cut through his voice, "No, what good is talking? I can't tell a shrink what happened, it won't change anything! Please, just drop it." Jet flinched. Lily sighed again and added, more softly this time, "I know you care but you can't help me right now, Jet. Please, just leave it." Seeing his hurt expression, she walked towards him and put her arm around his waist and they continued walking.

…

As midnight chimed, Lily was helping GB put away all the plates and cutlery from the dishwashers. All the prepped food had been labeled and stored and the other staff members cleaned the dining room. Chang took care of the money and wrote up a menu for after the holiday. Stretching, Lily took off the kitchen apron, which she wore to protect her waitressing outfit, comprising of a pink tunic top with blue lining and dark navy pants and slip on shoes. Only the main seating hostess or Francoise wore the skimpy pink dress. Chang had asked Lily to wear it too but she agreed to only wear it if he did. That was the end of the discussion. GB recited lines to Lily as he bustled around the kitchen. It was only a few weeks ago that they were both dancing and singing while doing kitchen work. Now, she was thankful that even when she had not much to say, GB made sure to fill the silence with something amusing. Putting her apron away, she met with the others and wished them a Merry Christmas, as they would be leaving on their holidays. She pulled little Christmas cards out of her bag and handed on to Chang and GB. Even though it pained her to write them it was her family tradition to send out cards to friends. They hugged and wished each other the best and she left the restaurant. "See you next year, Magic Pan" she murmured and turned to meet Jet, who was accompanied by Francoise and Joe.

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Hey, guys, what brings you all out?" Francoise smiled, "Oh, we just wanted to come out for a walk too." They all smiled at her. Lily forced a smile back but was curious as to why they had joined Jet. As they began walking home, Joe made small talk about the restaurant and when it would reopen, and how good it was that Chang was finally taking a break since he worked 24/7. Francoise pointed out a little bar that was still open, "This place looks nice. Want to go in?" Lily now caught on to what was happening. A double date. Why did Jet agree to this? "Actually, I don't really want to. I am still in my work uniform and I am tired," Lily stated softly. She was met with sad eyes. "Come on, Lily, just for one. It's been ages since we went out. Also, everywhere will be closed over the next couple of days." And with that, she gave in and was led inside.

…..

The soft yellow glow of the festive lights reminded Lily of Mesilla. She sat in a booth with the others but spaced in and out of conversation, hardly touching her mulled wine. 'Our time in New Mexico seems like years ago… is there something wrong with me? Jet, Francoise, and Joe have nothing to look forward to with Christmas, they no longer have families either… why am I taking this so hard?' Lily mentally scolded herself for being so down. 'But, how can I fix it?'

Jet noticed she was on another planet. He took her hand under the table and gave it a little squeeze. "Hey, did you hear what Francoise said? Since we don't have our old traditions for Christmas, maybe we could create new ones, just for us?" he told her softly. Lily blinked several times and looked Francoise who was smiling warmly at her, "Yes, maybe a mix of traditions from different countries too. Are there any traditions you would like to celebrate, Lily?" Lily thought for a moment. "Well, Christmas for us was a long holiday. My mom wa… is Spanish. So we had a traditional dinner of seafood on Christmas day. Oh, and stayed up all the night the night before playing music, drinking, and telling stories. I am sure the neighbors hated us. Then, on my dad's side, we celebrated Christmas all over again with his family on the 6th of January, as Ukrainians follow the Orthodox calendar. I didn't like that so much. His family were not fun like my mom's friends….." Lily's voice trailed off. "So, ah, music, seafood, booze. Usual, I guess," she added shyly, not wanting to share more personal traditions with her teammates. Jet's hand tightened on hers. "Hey, we finish these and go?" he announced, trying to sound energetic.

…

The walk home was just as painful for Lily as the chats in the bar. She just wanted to go to bed and sleep. Maybe sleep until the 26th if she could. 'Damn it, why couldn't I have been in a coma for Christmas?' she thought bitterly. Francoise and Joe were talking about food to prepare for Christmas Eve and Day. "You know, I don't like this all the Christmas talk either, Lily. Once I had figured out there was no Santa, what was the point?" Jet whispered to her. Lily just smiled. At least she was not the only grumpy one this time. Suddenly, Francoise stopped dead her tracks and her hands flew up to her temples.

"Someone, a cyborg, is coming towards us, fast!" Jet stood in front of Lily and Joe hopped in front of Francoise, ready to pounce. Lily felt a jolt run through her system. She looked up and on top of Dr. Kozumi's house to see a tall woman with long, black hair. She wore the same navy uniform as R-03 and Lily did. "It's R-02," Lily whispered. She started to walk forward, past Jet. He threw out his arm in front of her. "No, stay back." Joe turned to Lily, "0014, I want you to use your accelerator and take 003 with you, get to somewhere safe." Lily could not believe what she was hearing.

"What? No way, how about y'all get out of here instead, I'll handle her." Lily pushed past Jet's arm and stomped towards R-02. "HEY! R-02! What the hell do you want?" Lily called out as Jet ran to catch up to her. "LILY! DON'T!" he shouted out. Lily turned on her heel to face him. "Jet, you promised me, I can handle myself! I am not ornamental use like 003 over there." She told him coldly. Jet gasped as she turned back around to R-02. "R-02, we are all trying to live normal lives here, but if you want to fight… Come at me, see what happens!" Lily challenged and struck a defensive stance.

Within a split second, R-02 was also on the sand, a few feet away from Lily. Her dark eyebrows furrowed together. She closed her eyes, and her skin started to turn silver. Lily hunched her shoulders and took a sharp intake of breath, ready to charge. Then, out of nowhere, Jet tackled her from her right side and they both fell to the ground. Lily looked up at him with anger and shock. "Wh-what are you doing?" she spluttered. Jet held down her right arm. "I am not letting you fight her, not after what happened with R-03. It's too dangerous." Rage flooded through Lily and she pushed him off. She was about to start shouting at him, all the venom on the tip of her tongue when R-02 spoke. "R-03? I hope you killed him, 0014." Everyone turned to look at R-02 in shock. Her skin turned back to its beautiful coffee color. Her dark brown eyes locked on Lily. Rising to her feet, Lily took a step forward. She shrugged Jet's hand off her shoulder and stepped forward.

"We did," Lily answered flatly. "He threatened to kill all of us and almost destroyed me." R-02 breathed a sigh of what sounded like relief. "And R-01, is it true that she died on the base?" she asked, eyes still set on Lily. She nodded, "Yes. As for the others, I don't know. What about you, what's your purpose for being here?" A small smiled played on R-02's lips. "They had sent me to track you down months ago, but I removed my internal tracker and have been roaming free. I want nothing more to do with Black Ghost. My plan was to destroy R-01 and R-03, and you. But it looks like your mission to capture the first generation cyborgs ended up being the same plan as mine, right? Are these the famous rebels?" Lily eyes widened at the news. She swallowed and nodded, "Yes, they are. I wanted to join them." R-02 took a step towards her. "You made a wise choice." 009 quickly stepped forward. "R-02, then why don't you join us? We all want to live in peace. We are stronger together as a team." R-02 stared at him like he had two heads. "I don't work in a team," she answered coolly. She turned back towards Lily and held out her hand for a handshake. "Thank you for doing what you did. We'll meet again." Lily hesitated for a split second. Once again, Jet put his arm on her shoulder. "I don't trust her," he muttered. Lily shot a glare at him and then reached out her hand to shake with R-02.

In one quick, nibble movement, R-02 grabbed onto Lily's hand and yanked her off her feet. As quick as a flash, she pulled her hand up to her face and sank her teeth deep into Lily's wrist. "Arrrrggggggghhhhhhh!" Lily shouted out as R-02 released her bite and twirled Lily around, so that she stood between her and the 00s. She clamped her left hand over the wound and Lily felt her skin warm up as the cut closed. 009 and 002 had their lasers out, locked on R-02. "Don't worry, we were just exchanging contacts," she explained, her tone indifferent as blood ran down her chin. Then, she disappeared into thin air. Lily dropped to her knees and 002 and 003 rushed beside her. 009 looked on, trying to pinpoint where R-02 accelerated to, but she was too fast.

"Lily! Are you okay?" Jet's arm was around her shoulders and Francoise gingerly took Lily's right arm. The bite on her wrist was gone. Her skin was slightly pink and warm. The only telltale signs were the blood stains on the sleeve of her coat. "Yeah, I'm fine. She did that to create a bond. She's more advanced than me… maybe she can track me now, better than I could do…" Lily's voice faltered with the realization.

"Of course! Now she will always know where we are and can sneak up any time! Damn it!" Jet growled. He glared at Lily. "I told you. I told you to leave, why didn't you listen to me?" his voice was panicked. Anger flashed across his face. "How was I supposed to know she would do that? She is not with Black Ghost, she is on our side!" Lily shot back. Jet rose to his feet. "We can't trust her just because she said that! This wouldn't have happened if you had left like 009 and I told you! We are trying to protect you, why can't you see that?!" his voice rose. _"If you had left"_ echoed in her ears. Lily jumped up on her feet and squared up to him. "Because you can't give orders like that to me. You can't protect me all the time because **YOU ARE NOT MY FAMILY**." Tears formed in Lily's eyes and her voice cracked. Jet took a step back, holding her gaze. "Fine. If that's how you feel, you're on your own then!" he snapped. He bent his knees and jumped up, igniting his jets and took off over the water. Lily turned and ran towards the house. She could hear Francoise and Joe calling her back. She kept running.

She tore in through the house and upstairs, ignoring Dr. Gilmore's questions. She slammed the bedroom door behind her and pulled out her rucksack from the wardrobe. She stuffed in some clothes, her passport, document folder, and wallet. She pulled her phone out of her bag and turned it off, taking out the battery and sim card and shoved them into the rucksack as well. Through her tears, she tore off her work uniform and changed into a black hoody and jeans. She pulled on her baseball cap and her black runners. She pulled out some paper on the little desk by the window where all her botany books were kept and scratched out a note.

 _I had to leave. I can't handle this anymore._

 _I am sorry for everything._

She left the note on the table and quietly opened the window. Swinging her legs over the ledge, she looked up at the night sky. Only stars. She softly dropped down onto the grass and started running, and then accelerated out of sight.

….

Author's note: Uhhh huhhh! Bromance for Lily and 005 4evaaaa. Also, I do think 003 is purely ornamental use, such an annoying woman, ughhhhh. Also, I don't ship her and 009. What do you think? Dramatic enough? SO ANGST. MUCH FEELS. Reviews for confetti! KISSESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS xoxoxoxoxoxoxo


	8. Chapter 8: Catch Me if You Can

….

Chapter 8: Catch Me if You Can

…..

Jet cursed to himself as he soared over the ocean. He trailed along the direction R-02 had taken off but detected nothing. He thought of his harsh words with Lily...

 ** _"You are not my family!"_**

 ** _"You're on your own then!"_**

He winced, recalling of the look in her eyes; that broken, scared expression. He thought of his own tactless words. He had promised himself to always take care of her, no matter what. To be patient, to be understanding. To have the relationship he always wanted. To be different from all the other messed up relationships he saw while growing up… to be different from his own family. He wanted to make his own family. But she does she really see him that way? After everything they had been through, was he not family to her? He turned mid-air and headed back to the house. Maybe she will have calmed down by now. Jet knew very well that Lily's temper could rival his. They had disagreements now and then and were best resolved after both had time to think and collect their thoughts.

However, this was by far the worst one. When he saw her being pulled by R-02, his heart trembled. Flashes of what happened with R-03 ran through his mind. Then within a minute, R-02 was gone. She broke into Lily's personal space, forced a blood bond on her. He knew that Lily did not know that was going to happen, and he knew she must have felt guilty and stupid in that moment. But his sharp words stung her when she was down. He knew she was suffering, ever since December rolled in and people began talking about the holidays. It was like a light went out in her eyes. The reality of not seeing her family now or ever struck her hard. He should have held his tongue, but what she said hurt him too.

Jet touched down on the ground and his shoes sank into the sand. 'Just another pair of ruined kicks.' He began walking back to the house, mentally running through a script of what he would say to Lily. 'Should I apologize first? Really, she should say sorry. She probably will. She will.' Bracing himself, he opened the front door and kicked off his destroyed shoes. Closing the door behind him, he edged down the hall and peeked into the living room. It was just Dr. Gilmore, Francoise and Joe. They all noticed him. "Hey, is Lily here?" Dr. Gilmore looked at him curiously and replied, with just enough annoyance in his voice, "She stormed upstairs and slammed the bedroom door. If you can convince her to come down, I wish to run some tests after that bite from R-02." Jet nodded and noticed Joe staring at him. "Hey, you okay Jet?" he asked quietly. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Just gotta take care of some damage control. Will see you later," he responded as he walked upstairs.

Arriving at their bedroom door, Jet stalled. He raised his hand to knock then dropped it again, resting it on the doorknob. Slowly turning it, he opened the door, bracing himself for what expected to be a long talk. His eyes rested on the bed, on the bundled up Chinese uniform. Scanning the room, he saw the wardrobe door ajar, then the open window, and finally the note on the desk. Jet felt his stomach drop. Lurching forward, he picked up the note. Stumbling back out into the hallway, Jet tried to find his words. "Joe, she's…. she's…" Joe appeared at the top of the stairs. "What's wrong, Jet?" Jet leaned against the wall as the note paper fluttered to the ground. "She's gone."

…..

Lily gathered her rucksack belongings and documents after being scanned. She queued up for passport control and checked her gate number. She paid a small fortune for the ticket change and upgrade but it was only luck she managed it. Moving through the winter wonderland duty free, Lily walked straight towards her boarding gate. Maybe going on her own was not the best idea, but there was no way any of the others, including Jet, would have agreed to go with her. Handing her passport and ticket to the air steward, Lily managed a small smile. "Happy holidays, have a pleasant flight!" he greeted, handing her papers back. She walked through the gate, turning to catch a glimpse at the sparkling waiting lounge. Nobody to stop her. Lily continue walking, looking up at the lit up board gate signal. _Flight 237: JFK New York_

…

Jet loomed over Joe's shoulders as he tapped away at the computer. He bounced impatiently on his heels. "Well, can you change it?!" he demanded. Joe winced. "Uh, yeah, you can change your flight to the 6am one today. But it'll cost you. Are you sure about this?" Jet nearly snapped his head off. "Of course I am sure! She must have taken off for New York. She took her passport and plane ticket." Joe sighed. "But Jet, she said she in the note that she wants to be alone. Maybe you should do what she says?" Jet almost exploded. "Do you not know ANYTHING about women?! When they say it's fine, it's not fine. When they say they want to be alone, they do not want to be alone. When they run off, it means you follow. That's the mistake I made and now SHE'S GONE. BOOK. THE. TICKETTT!" He spun Joe's chair around back to the screen. His fingers ran over the keyboard like lightning. "Done, you better get going." Jet slapped him on the back. "Thanks, bud! Go get the car. I need to refuel myself before going. If that plane doesn't fly, I am flying myself back to New York!" he cried out as he headed for the fuel reserve in the dolphin. Joe watched him run off, looking exasperated. Francoise sat in the corner, angrily stirring her tea. "He's right, you know. I am not fine" she stated quietly. Joe looked at her steely expression. 'Oh, boy…'

…

Jet's leg jittered as he watched the air steward perform the safety instruction. 'I swear I'd fly back to NY faster than this…. I wonder if I have enough fuel…. I should have listened to the Doc when he was blabbing on about limits….' Finally the plane started to taxi out onto the runway. 'Okay, finally. I'll head straight to the house first. She is probably there. Or at the florist. I'll find her. I'll make this right.' He stared out the window seeing the blue run way lights. 'See you soon, Lily.'

….

Lily's footsteps pounded the grey floors of the airport as her bag bounced on her back. 'If only I could accelerate here…. I got to make it.' She bypassed other people jogging along, some with cabin bags or with children in tow. She glanced at her ticket again and looked up at the numerous signs. Passport Control, Baggage, Connections. She took a left, following a sign for domestic connections. She passed the gates and finally saw it.

Gate 8B: New Orleans: Last Call.

She was going home.

…

"Who would be calling on us here on Christmas Eve?" Cathy muttered as she checked the peephole of the door to the frantic knocking. Her eyes widened at the familiar face. She opened the door quickly, "Jet! I wasn't expecting this!" she noticed his worried, tired expression. "Is everything okay?" she added quickly. He breathed deeply. "Hi, Cathy, is Lily here?" It took Cathy a moment to process his question. "No. No, she isn't. What's going on, Jet?" Suddenly Jimmy launched himself onto Jet, wrapping his arms around his neck and legs around his waist. "JET! MOM! THIS IS BEST THE GIFT EVERRRRRR!" he squealed. Jet nearly toppled over, but his arms instinctively wrapped around the young boy. "Hey, buddy," he said softly, ruffling his hair. He looked back at Cathy. "Sorry to bother you. I thought she might be here. Um, could you please call me if she calls you?" Cathy crossed her arms over her chest, "Jet, come in. Explain this to me properly."

…

Lily kept her hood up along with her cap and a pair of sunglasses. No way could she risk being recognized here. She had checked into an airport hotel and then traveled out to her old neighborhood. First stop, the cemetery. Maybe that would be enough to make her realize that she no longer belongs in this part of the world. Lily walked along the winding paths that she had always taken every month to visit her grandparents. The old tree still stood guard over her family's plot. Bending down, Lily read the headstones. The last one was new _. Liliana Sliva, beloved daughter and sister. Love is enough._ Lily fell forward onto her knees. Wilted flowers and some decorations lay in front of the stone. She waited for the tears to come but they did not. 'This is not real. This isn't enough. I have to see them.'

….

Jet sat at the kitchen table with Cathy and Jimmy with a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. Cathy sighed, "Well, that all sounds a bit dramatic if you ask me. But, then again, if I had the chance to board a plane when I had fights, I probably would have." Jet looked at her sorrowfully. "Well, if she is not here, then I don't really know what to do now." He slid him arms out and rested his head on the table. Jimmy patted his shoulder, "Jet, girls are trouble. You should know better."

….

Lily waited until it got dark. She walked down the back way to her street in the suburbs, keeping close to the walls. Only the glow of the street lanterns and glitter of the Christmas lights illuminated her way. Her house was right at the end, trees closing in around it. Lily climbed up the old tree opposite her house that used to be the kingdom for her and her siblings. She was far away from her house to not be seen but close enough for her perfected vision to allow her to see inside the windows. There they were. Lily's breath hitched. Her dad, mom, older sister Rosa, younger twin boys, Daniel and David, and the youngest, Ash, all sat at the dining table. She could make out the table setting, the same dishes they used every Christmas. Tall red candles burned in the center of the table. Six people. 7 place settings. Tears welled in her eyes. They were quiet. No music. No talking. Tears poured down her cheeks. She sat throughout their meal and drinks and watched them clear away the plates. Her siblings cleaned up. Her parents sat hand in hand at the table. One by one, her siblings left the room and went upstairs to their bedrooms. Lily wiped her tear stained cheeks as she quietly sobbed. Her mother got up and kissed her father on top of his head and left the room. Her father poured another glass of wine and stayed sat at the table. Lily could see him wiping his eyes. Another wave of tears hit her. After a few minutes, he downed his glass and got up, blowing out the candle, leaving the house in darkness.

Lily's head pounded. 'Why did I come here? Why did I think this would be a good idea?' She never felt more alone than right now. Not even the test base could compare to this. Her hands trembled as she pulled her bag onto her lap. She searched for her phone and slotted in the sim card and battery. She watched the screen light up, blurring from her tears. As soon as she picked up a connection, a flood of notifications rolled onto the screen. Countless missed calls, voicemails, and messages. There were several numbers but one name appeared again and again. Jet. She held the phone to her ear to listen to the voicemails from the night she left.

 _"Lily, why aren't you picking up? Where are you? Call me back!"_

 _"Lily, 009 told me that noise means your phone is turned off. Why would you do that? That note? How can I just let you go? How can you leave without a proper explanation?"_

 _"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for what I said. I want to take care of you. I want to be with you. Please, please call me back. We can figure this out."_

 _"Lily, I got my flight changed. I am following you to New York. Please contact me. I will go to your house. I love you. Call me back."_

 _"I've landed. I am going to your house. I hope you will be there…. Because you are my family now. I love you."_

 _"Lily….. where are you?... I don't know what to do."_

Hot tears streaked down her cheeks again. Lily took a deep breath and shook her head. She hit return call. Only two beeps. "LILY?!" Jet gasped. "Jet. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…. I shouldn't have left. I made a terrible mistake," she choked out. "Where are you? Please tell me where you are," he pleaded. Lily started to sob again, "I-I'm in New Orleans, near my h-house. Oh Jet, I saw them, from afar. I th- thought it would help to see them. I can't, I can't cope with this. I shouldn't have come." Lily could hear him sighing heavily. "I should have known. Lily, baby, stay there. I can be there in a few hours. Tell me your location." Lily tried to control her sobbing. "Y-you can track directly from the call, our phones are synced cos my sim is activated again." "Okay. Please stay hidden. They can't see you, okay? I will be there in about two hours. Hold tight, Lily. I love you," his voice cracked. "I l-love you too. I'm sorry again," she sighed and ended the call. She leaned against the trunk of the tree and pulled her hoody sleeves down, covering her hands. Lily closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

…

Jet flew as fast as he could over the long distance. No way could he go through airport security and wait again for a connecting flight. It all made sense to him now. The despair, the family comment, the running off. It was reckless but at the same time, understandable. The way she sounded on the phone broke his heart. He slowed as he neared his destination. He had the exact co-ordinates and landed near the trees at the end of the street. "Jet!" came a hushed voice from one of the trees. He looked over to see Lily drop down, dressed in all black. They ran to each other and embraced, Jet lifting her off her feet. "Lily, don't pull a stunt like this ever again, you hear?" Lily sniffed into his chest. "I won't, I promise. I just had to see them. Now I know it doesn't help. I miss them so much, Jet. It hurts so much." He stroked her hair and shushed her. "I am sorry for what I said. You are my family, Jet. I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do without you," she shook in his arms, tears wetting the front of his shirt. "C'mon, let's get out of here." Lily nodded. "But first, I want to walk around the house. My dad's garden is at the back. I want to see it, please." Jet looked over at the small house, now in complete darkness. "Okay, let's go."

They walked hand in hand around the house. Lily stood on her tip toes to peer over the wall. The garden was small but beautifully maintained. She looked up at the back of the house and let out a small gasp. "What is it?" Jet whispered. Lily pointed to an open window. "That's my room. The window is open. Maybe, maybe I could go and look in." Jet quickly pulled Lily down by the shoulder so that they were now crouched down by the wall. "Are you crazy? What if you wake up your family, how can you explain?" he hissed. Lily shook her head. "I can accelerate up there and out! I just want… I just want to see it." Jet sighed. "Okay, let me come with you. I know you don't listen to me." Lily gave him a sad smile. "Thank you. It'll be the last time I see the inside of my home."

They used their accelerators to scale up the wall and land on the roof, right above Lily's room. Very carefully, Lily edged her way down and used her foot to swing out the window. Then she swung herself into the room, landing softly on the window sill. She stood up and looked around. Jet followed suit and stood beside her. The soft street light offered some visibility. Her room was small; just a single bed, desk, and wardrobe. Dozens of photos decorated the walls. Jet leaned over, seeing Lily with various people at different ages. He smiled, seeing her smiling and making goofy faces. Lily was at her bed, which was in the corner, next to the window. She reached down, her fingers lightly touching an aged teddy bear. Suddenly the door made a little creak. "Go!" Jet hissed and Lily accelerated, jumping out the window. The door flew open and something hard collided with Jet's knee. He stumbled back, falling to the floor as the bedroom light switched on.

"A thief! Maria! Call the police!" the man stood over Jet, wielding a baseball bat. Jet's arms flew up. "No! I know Lily!" The words were out of Jet's mouth before he realized. The man lowered the bat, his blue-gray eyes soft. "You, you knew our Lily?" A lady holding a phone stood beside him. She looked exactly like Lily, except for darker hair and skin. "Maria, don't call yet. How do you know Lily? And why are you here?" Jet's mind raced. "I met her before she went to Japan. Uhh, I just wanted to see her room. Listen, I knew her before…. Before she…. Left." Another four faces peered in the door frame; a young lady, almost the image of Lily, but much taller, identical teenage boys with light, wavy hair and brown eyes, and a little boy, around Jimmy's age with grey eyes and dark, curly hair. Lily's father turned to look at Maria, then back to Jet. "I'll open more wine," Maria sighed and left the room. "Come talk with us downstairs. Your leg okay?" Jet rose to his feet and flexed his foot. "I've had much worse," he replied softly, following Lily's father. "What's your name, son?" Jet paused. "It's Jet. Jet Link." Lily's father eyed him suspiciously. "Well, I'm Anton Silva. Try any smart moves and I will take your leg off, alright?"

Jet followed them down the stairs. He opened his internal communicator. –Lily, why don't you listen to me?-

-You're meeting my family!-

-I will kill you-

…

Author's note: Hope you enjoyed this! Are y'all surprised? Went on a 360 of what I originally planned XD

Reviews and abuse welcome. I LOVE YOU! *screams into the abyss*


	9. Chapter 9: Spoken For

Author's note: Yush! Finished this early! So enjoyed the writing the last chapter. Inspired to work on plot twists because let's be honest, the original story is a rollercoaster!

Hope y'all enjoy this! :D

…

Chapter 9: Spoken For

…

Jet felt like he was at the strangest, most intimidating interview of his life. He sat on one end of the table while Lily's family all huddled on the opposite side facing him. Jet went through introductions and knew everyone's name. The youngest, Ash, stood at the end of the table and stared up at Jet with an expression very similar to Jimmy's. Meanwhile, outside, Lily was crouched under the window of the living room so that she could hear everything through the wall. She and Jet were also able to communicate secretly through their internal communicators, of course.

Maria, Lily's mother, took a sip of wine and rested her chin on her hands. "It was a shock for us, Jet. We are still in shock. Lily left for the exchange program in Japan for the year. We last spoke to her when she was boarding in JFK. We called everyone we could; the university, the police, but no one could help. The airline told us she did land. Then nothing. Eight days later, we receive a call telling us her body was found, identified, and the remains were to be sent home. No explanation. The post mortem results stated she died in a fire. We found no news reports. Nothing. We buried the little of the remains we got. It just doesn't seem real."

Anton, Lily's father, rested a hand on her shoulder, "We believe she was murdered, Jet. There were no reports of fires that linked up to what happened to our daughter. We have no justice for her." Jet bowed his head. The sadness and frustration at the table was overwhelming. "I am so sorry for your loss," he responded in a hushed tone. "You said you knew her, Jet, from where?" Jet looked up, his mind raced. Lily spoke to him over his communicator

– When studying, through friends-

"When we were studying, I met her through friends." Rosa looked at him curiously. "What were you studying? Botany too?" Now Jet was thinking on his feet, he could not lie about something he had no clue of. "No, I fly. I mean, I fly jets- I was studying aviation." He answered quickly. Ash narrowed his eyes at him. "Your name is Jet and you fly a jet?" Jet looked at the young boy and nodded. "That's so cool! My name is Ash, and I want to be a Pokemon master, like Ash!" Jet smiled back at him as if he knew what he was talking about.

"She never mentioned your name, Jet. Were you two close?" Maria asked. Jet nodded. "Yes, we didn't know each other for long, but I care-d deeply for your daughter. I wanted to come and visit sooner, but I was on placement for a long time with my crew." Rosa pulled her hair to one side. "So, you were her boyfriend then?" she smiled, showing a single dimple. She caught Jet off guard. Looking at her was just like looking at Lily, though her hair was longer and she had brown eyes, just like their mother. He nodded at her. "Oh, well that's news. I always thought she was a lesbian," Rosa smirked. "Rrrosa!" her mother scolded. "What, you know she was a total dark horse about these matters." Rosa added, still smirking. "Yeah, I was. I like to think even more, before… I really love… loved your sister. She always talked about you all, how fun and loving you are. I am glad to meet you all, finally." He turned to face Anton and Maria, "She told me about how you two met and got married. She told me about adventures you all went on. I was jealous, you sound like a perfect family. We spent as much time together before she went to Japan as possible. We made promises to meet up again, after our work was done. I just wish I told her everything I felt and wanted before she left." The twin boys now spoke, in total unison. "Yeah, but why did you break into her room?" Jet felt the panic building.

–LILY WHAT DO I SAY-

-Say you're crazy in love-

"I wanted….. to leave something in her room." Jet tried to sound as calm as possible, but his heart skipped a beat. This did sound crazy. "You sound like a stalker," the twins responded flatly. Anton then clipped both of them on the back of the head. "That's not a nice way to talk to our thief- I mean, guest. He obviously loved your sister. People in love do crazy things." He took a sip of wine. "After all, your mother and I were living together within two weeks of knowing each other, and the following month she was knocked up with Rosa." Ash giggled as Rosa made a face of disgust. He looked back at Jet. "What did you want to leave in her room?" Jet tapped his fingers on the table. This was not how he wanted the following to unfold. His heart fluttered and he bowed his head.

He slowly reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. "Ummm…. I had bought this a long time ago. I wanted to ask her before she left but, I was unable to," he spoke softly as he placed a little, black, velvet box on the table and pushed it forward. "I know I should have asked for your blessing, but I did not think I would meet you…. before she… left for Japan," he added, his voice now almost a whisper.

Lily's heart pounded.

-Jet, what are you talking about?!-

-Lily, there is something I wanted to ask you…-

Rosa and Maria gasped. Maria reached out and opened the tiny box. "Oh, it's beautiful," she gushed, tears welling up in her eyes. "That's, that's exactly her style…" Rosa murmured, also smiling.

-Will you marry me?-

\- Are you CRAZY?!-

\- Yes, marry me?-

-OHMYGODOMYGODOHMYYYYYGAWWWDD LAWDDDD YESSS! YES!-

Jet tried his hardest not to shout out and not to jump out of his seat. A smile broke out across his face, and his eyes watered. He covered his mouth with his fist. Lily rested her head back on the wall, under the window sill. She covered her mouth, to stay quiet. Tears filled her eyes again, only this time they were tears of pure happiness. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt goose-bumps rise all over her skin.

Anton smiled at his wife and daughter. The boys crowded around to look at the ring. Anton then looked at Jet and smiled. "There would have been no point asking for my blessing, I trust Lily would have given you the correct answer. Anyone good enough for Lily is good enough for us, Jet. She was a great judge of character. And I can tell that you are genuine and really loved her." Jet nodded. "Thank you, sir." Anton's eyes watered. "I only…. I only wish you had the chance to call me something more personal than sir, Jet. But, that's the way it goes."

Rosa looked up at Jet. "You wanted to leave this in her room? I don't think that's a good idea." Maria nodded. "Rosa is right; this ring needs to stay with you, Jet. Thank you, I understand why, but her room has been a shrine to her past. It's been almost a year since we lost her. We can't keep it like that. We have to move on, somehow." She placed the ring back in the box and handed it back to Jet. "I'm sorry for your loss too." Jet smiled at her sadly and placed the ring back in his pocket, silently relieved at their decision.

Over the next couple of hours, they continued talking. Maria pulled out photo albums and the twin boys told him stories about their sister growing up. Lily lay down under the window sill, able to hear everything. She smiled and did her best not to laugh along. Another bottle of wine was opened and music played as Rosa showed Jet Lily's year book. Her title in the book for senior year was " _Better Rosa_ " and her quote was, " _Why be moody when you can shake your booty?_ " Lily cringed recalling her youth, but her smile never faltered.

As the sky lightened in preparation for dawn, Jet finished the last of his wine and stood up, "Thank you all so much for this. It was wonderful to meet you. But I have to get back to dispatch again." Anton stood up and shook his hand. "No, thank you, Jet. Thanks to you, we had our traditional Christmas Eve night which is all about banter, drinking, and music," he smiled at Jet warmly. "Yes, thank you, Jet. You are welcome here, anytime. Just use the front door next time, okay?" Maria added, reaching up to hug him. The rest of the family got up to hug him too. "Let me see you out, Jet," Rosa added. She led him to the front door. "Take care of yourself. Thank you for making our Christmas seem…. normal. I guess remembering and celebrating Lily like this will be our new tradition. So, thank you," she reached up and hugged him. "Thank you, Rosa," Jet murmured. Rosa opened the door and Jet stepped out, waving at the rest of the family from the living room window. Jet turned and walked away from the house, spotting Lily peeking out from behind the tree where she had been hiding when he arrived. He looked back, seeing that the lights in the house were now off. He jogged over to the tree and hugged her, pulling her behind the thick trunk so they were hidden from view.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms found her waist. She kissed him deeply. After a moment, he gently broke their kiss, and pushed her back by her hips slightly. "We are going to do right, Lily," he whispered, holding her hand as he slowly went down on one knee. Lily felt like her heart flutter and her hands flew up to her cheeks. She was already nodding. "Wait, I had this prepared," Jet whispered, smiling. He softly cleared his throat. He took the small box out of jacket and held it up to her.

"Liliana Silva, pain in the butt and love of my life, I want you to become my family. My life started again because of you. I don't have much to offer but I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me. Will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?"

Lily threw herself on top of him, "Yes, yes, yes, a million times, yes!" she squeaked quietly. Jet kissed her and sat up, engulfing her in his embrace. "Thank you," he breathed deeply. "Here, you still didn't see the ring," he added, opening the box and taking it out. Lily's eyes widened. It was beautiful, a deep rosy gold colored wreath of tiny leaves. The tiny stones sparkled on the inside of each little leaf. "Oh my gosh, Jet, it's beautiful!' she exclaimed in a whisper. He took her left hand and placed it on her ring finger. He sighed with relief, "Thank goodness it fits!" Lily giggled and kissed him again. "I can't believe it. Thank you," she kissed him again. "Well, I was going to wait until New Years in New York, but honestly, I wanted to ask you months ago." He rose to his feet and took her hand, helping her to her feet. "How about we go back to New York today? We have been invited to spend Christmas Day with Jimmy and Cathy." Lily nodded. Nothing sounded more perfect than spending Christmas in New York right now. She looked back one last time at her home and hugged Jet tightly. "We have our own traditions to make, Firecracker. Let's get started."

…..

Author's note: AWWW YUSSS! Are you surprised?! Because I am surprised! The idea just came to me after my YouTube randomly put me on a wedding playlist uhuhuhuhhhh!

Now… TIME TO TRAVEL! OOOOPPPPS UNPREPARED ARRGHHHHH! Let me know whatcha think! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	10. Chapter 10: Happiest Place on Earth

….

Chapter 10: Happiest Place on Earth

…

Cathy put her paper cup of hot chocolate on the bench and pulled her scarf up higher around her neck. It had snowed all morning, granting every child's wish of a white New York Christmas. She smiled at Jimmy holding hands with Lily as they skated away as quickly as they could from Jet on the ice-rink in the middle Central Park. Other couples and families strolled by and people warmly exchanged seasons' greetings. Lily had picked up Jimmy who held out his arms in front of him, in a superman, or rather, super cyborg pose. Cathy giggled at their antics as Jet pretended to fall after a mock punch from Jimmy.

'I am so happy for those two…. We are like an odd little family now,' Cathy smiled to herself recalling how at about 9am she opened the door to Jet and Lily. If it wasn't for the look of happiness on her face, she would have scolded her for running off. However, Lily explained over coffee what had happened; how Jet met her family, and how they are now going to be their own family. Jimmy walked in on them in the middle of a group hug and jumped on top of them all, claiming it was the "GREATEST CHRISTMAS EVER!" Cathy chuckled to herself. 'Well, it was definitely the most unique Christmas, talking about the real life adventures of Cyborg 002 and 0014 while having dinner.'

Jimmy presented Jet and Lily with portraits he had done of them as cyborgs, which Cathy had got professionally framed. Jet handed Jimmy an envelope with tickets for him and Cathy to go to Disneyland in Orlando with them. Jimmy's screaming nearly brought the whole house down and Cathy cursed herself for not getting it on camera. Lily had explained to her beforehand and after much arguing, Cathy finally accepted their present and made a mental note to get them an engagement present.

Jimmy skidded up the railing to call out to Cathy, "Mama! Did you see me? Did you see?!" Cathy chuckled and waved. "Of course. What's your cyborg name, Jimmy?" She caught him by surprise. "Oh, I don't know! I need to think of something!" Cathy stood up and Lily and Jet also slid up to the railing. "We better get home though; we need to pack for Disney tomorrow." Jimmy's eyes turned to stars, "Yessssssss! I get to fly like 002 tomorrow!" he laughed as he stretched out his arms like an airplane, _"Zoooooooooom!"_

….

Due to booking the tickets last minute, their seats were spread out in the remaining spots on the plane to Florida. Lily decided to try and use this time to jot down some of her thoughts in a pretty journal Cathy gifted her. She had not written anything like a diary since high school and she nibbled on the pen thinking of how to start. She could not write down everything that had happened, for fear that the wrong people could end up with this information. Lily put the pen to paper and slowly started writing.

Dec 26th

Dear Diary,

This does not even seem real. I can't even being to write down everything that has happened this past month, not a mind the past year….. I do not want to start this diary on a depressing mode, so I will list the positive things that have happened and will happen.

1\. I AM GOING TO DISNEYWORLD RIGHT NOW

2\. I met Jet, the love of my life.

3\. We got engaged!

4\. I opened my own store

5\. I have my own house

6\. I made new friends

7\. I sang to an audience twice

8\. I can speak Japanese

9\. Jet and I are going to spend next year traveling as much as possible

Looking at this list, anyone would think I am the luckiest girl in the world. In ways, I am… but in others. I just don't know. I lost everything of my old life for my new one, and it could not have happened any other way. Is what I gained better than what I lost? Hmmmm, I am rambling, going down that depressing path again… like I was before Christmas Eve….. I just wish I could merge my old life with my new one.

But there is hope now for this new life. I have Jet. I almost messed that up completely a few days ago, running off to New Orleans… but now we are stronger than ever. Even though we have only known each other for a few months, he has shown me love like I never knew possible. I mean, I always thought I would find someone and get married, but I never thought it would happen this soon…. Guess I never thought of who because I had no ideal. I took mama's advice; that I would know when it happens. I can even pinpoint the exact moment I felt it and knew for sure. It was the day I had spoken with Cathy about not being able to have kids. I was so sad and angry at the same time that when I got home, I punched a hole in the wall in the living room(!). I told Jet that I cannot give him children and I was so worried what we had would end there and then, even though we had just begun our relationship. But he just turned to me and said, _"Being here with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I will not let anything ruin it. It's just you and me, okay? If we ever live a life peaceful enough to have a family, we'll figure that out when the time comes."_

That was when I had the feeling like time stopped. Even though our future was uncertain, our present a mess, and our past hidden away, I just felt like everything became crystal clear in that moment. I knew then I loved him for him because even if the situation was entirely different, he would have made the same promise. That was back in October. Two months later he kneels in front of me and offers me a ring, calling me a pain in the butt and love of his life. It may not be the norm, but it's pretty normal for us, I guess!

….

Joe's phone pinged. Sipping his coffee, he pulled it out of his pocket to check. He dropped the phone on the table and snorted. "What is it Joe?" Francoise inquired. He turned the screen to her to show the photo of Jet with a young boy on his shoulders beside Lily. All of them were wearing Mickey Mouse ears in front of the Disney castle. Francoise took the phone for a better look, seeing Lily's name at the top of the screen. She was smiling, the little boy was laughing, and Jet looked like he'd rather be set on fire. Francoise giggled too, "Wall of Shame?" she asked, handing the phone back. "Oh, you bet!"

…

Lily finished checking in with her people by phone and popped it back in her bag. She jogged to catch up with Jet, Jimmy, and Cathy. She had made up with Francoise and Joe over the phone after the incident with R-02 and running away from home. She also spoke to Dr. Gilmore to assure him that there were no problems with the bite and promising to stay vigilant if R-02 turned up again. Lily linked arms with Cathy as they walked behind Jet, or rather, a very tall Jimmy. She smiled at how cute he looked, carrying Jimmy. "Thanks so much for coming with us, Cathy," she smiled up at the blonde. Cathy blinked at her, "What? No, thank you! This has always been Jimmy's dream!"

"Mine too, but I always thought it would be so much better to experience all this through a child's eyes. Plus, as grumpy as Jet is now, imagine how he would be if it was just the two of us," she added with a whisper. "I heard that!" Jet stated, turning his head to them. "I wanna go on Splash Mountain! Then I wanna go on Space Mountain! Then the Tower of Terror and THEN…." Jimmy babbled away, naming nearly every single one of the rides in the park. "Oh and I have to get SIGNATURES! I want to get Buzz Lightyear's autograph. He was my hero before you, Jet!" he squealed tapping Jet's head.

….

Sitting at one of the cafes, Lily looked through all the photos they had taken on the rollercoaster rides. "Oh come on, Jet, you could have acted scared!" Lily scolded, playfully shoving him. "Nothing scares me, Lily," he retorted crossing his arms over his chest. In all the photos, Lily, Cathy, and Jimmy were screaming, whereas Jet looked like he was about to fall asleep. Cathy took the photos to look through. "Oh wait, here is one…." She smirked, holding up the photo. It was from the Terror Tower, where Jimmy was holding onto Jet, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open screaming while Jet's eyes were as wide as saucers and teeth clenched. "Ahahaha!" Lily cried out taking the photo before Jet could grab it. She pulled out her phone to take a snapshot. "Perfect, one for the Wall of Shame!" Cathy chuckled, "What's the Wall of Shame?" Lily put the photo back on the table as Jet scowled at her. "It's our little dedication to all the silly stuff we do. It's 90% Jet. I'll send you a photo of it when I see it again," she winked. "Going to send this to Joe to take care of," she laughed evilly. Jet stared at Cathy with dead eyes. "See, what I have to put up with it?" Lily waved her ring hand in front of his face, "Till death do we part, buddy!"

…

As their day in Disney World drew to an end, Jimmy decided that the last ride they should go on would be Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. They moved with the crowd, Jimmy still on top of Jet's shoulders giving him the best view. Lily held Jet's hand as she walked beside him. She squeezed it lightly, catching his attention. "Thanks for doing this, Jet," she told him warmly. He smirked at her, "No worries, it wasn't too bad I guess." Lily looked up at him, "I bet you really enjoyed it, you are just trying to save face, ya big softie!" This caused Jimmy to bend over on Jet's head to look him in the eye. "Jet! This is happiest place on earth! You better be happy!" Cathy laughed at her son as he almost had her tone of voice down. Jet reached up and ruffled his hair, "I am happy here but happier that you are happy, Jimmy!" Lily smiled up at the two, her heart skipping a beat.

Suddenly, someone pushed into her shoulder roughly as they walked by. Lily whipped her head around in annoyance. She felt a jolt in her stomach as saw that it was a tall woman with long, black hair. 'Could it be…' Lily slowed her pace, causing Jet to slow and look back at her. "What's wrong, Lily?" he inquired. Lily shook her head. "Just…. I thought I saw someone I knew," she muttered. Jet stared off in the direction she was looking in and then opened his internal communicator, -Who?-

-I think that was R-02. You take Cathy and Jimmy, I will investigate.-

-Are you sure that is a good idea?-

-No, but something is giving me the creeps. Keep your communicator open.-

-Okay, stay safe.-

"Hey, I will catch up with you at Big Thunder, alright?" Lily called out and left them before they could reply.

She moved through the crowd, zig-zagging her way forward. She looked left and right, trying to spot the woman with glossy, waist length black hair. Then she saw her.

Lily froze for a moment. Her dark eyes bore into Lily. She looked just as intimidating in a black t-shirt and jeans as her navy uniform. Lily tried to keep her composure and walked up to her, in the small clearing next to a souvenir store. "What are you doing here?" Lily hissed. "Nice to see you too, 0014," R-02 replied coolly. "Nothing nice about seeing you, you vampire. I should drop you where you stand," Lily snapped in a hushed voice. R-02 shrugged her shoulders. "Why are you following me?" Lily questioned, her gaze locked on R-02. "I am just keeping watch, 0014. I suspect something is going to happen soon, I can feel an energy disruption." Lily crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Oh, so you are physic now too?" R-02 ignored her comment and continued talking. "Something is coming. I am not sure what it is yet but I have a feeling it will strike in the next couple of weeks. I am going to Europe to scout as that is where the energy is coming from."

"Why are you telling me this? And why should I believe you?" R-02 gave her a smirk. "Because I am on your side." Lily raised an eyebrow. "You have a funny way of showing that, biting me and then disappearing," R-02 waved her hand dismissively. "I had to create a bond. That way I was also able to see if what you said about R-01 and R-03 was true." Lily flinched, "What? How?" R-02 looked at her with a lopsided smile. "You really don't understand how you work? I was able to see inside your subconscious and saw what happened when we bonded. I could not just take your word for it." Lily took a step closer and motioned to grab her by the collar but then stopped, realizing where they were.

"Something is changing inside you too, your self-heal is different. I hope it works in your favor, 0014," she started to turn away from her. "What do you mean?" Lily asked, raising her voice. –Lily, are you okay?- Jet's internal communicator interrupted. –Yes, all is fine- Lily thought bitterly. R-02 turned back to Lily. "You absorbed R-03's powers. Perhaps it will make you stronger or perhaps it will make you unstable. Nothing you can do about it now. Good luck." And with that R-02 disappeared.

-Lily?-

-It was her and she is gone now. She is messed up, Jet.-

-What happened?-

Lily started to walk about towards Big Thunder.

-She said she feels something in going to happen in a couple of weeks and she is going to Europe to scout.-

-Okaaaay. Did something else happen?-

-Yes. When she bit me, she was able to see inside my head and saw what happened with R-01 and R-03, just like you could see inside my head when I had the nightmare.- Lily breathed deeply.

-She also said something inside me has changed. Like Dr. Gilmore said.-

-What did she say changed?-

-She said I absorbed R-03's powers. It could either make me stronger or….-

-OR?-

-Unstable.-

-We got to get back to Dr. Gilmore ASAP-

-No, Jet. If he didn't get a reading then, it won't make a difference now. Maybe she is just trying to scare me.-

-Yeah, bu-

-She is crazy, Jet. A crazy vampire! We will continue with our holiday. We will be in Europe too. We can scout as well and see if we pick up on anything. Let's contact the others when we leave here and fill them in. I'm almost at Big Thunder.-

-Okay, we are in line. Over and out.-

Lily joined them in the queue and forced a smile. "All okay, Lily?" Cathy asked. "Yeah, all is fine, don't worry! Ready for the ride Jimmy?" Even though his eyes were heavy with tiredness, his little legs bounced on Jet's shoulders. "Yes! I heard this is the best one!" Lily smiled and took out her phone. She turned around in order to snap a photo of all of them. "Saaaaay, Disney World!"

…

Author's note: Just a fluffy chapter, featuring my ice queen, R-02! Intrigued by her? I am working on her backstory :DDD xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	11. Chapter 11: Business as Usual

Author's note: Shout out to SomeoneForeign! Time to get back to cyborg business, uhuhuhuhhh!

Ripped this straight from the Mythos arc. Next chapter won't be so based off their dialog (just the battle! I have other ideas. EVIL IDEAS! MUHHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! –ahem-)

…..

Chapter 11: Business as Usual

….

"Yeah, all is clear here, Albert. Are you leaving tomorrow? Then so will we. Alright, done," Jet disconnected his headset and closed the laptop. He sighed heavily and stretched back in the chair, looking out at the open terrace of the little Italian villa. Lily was curled up in a blanket on a lounge chair; sound asleep with her text book open on her face. She let out a little snore and Jet took out his phone to snap a photo. 'One for the wall….' He scrolled through his photos from their adventures around Italy: Rome, Bologna, Turin, Bari, and Naples. Five weeks' worth of travel, food, wine, and fun. They decided to take it easy and rented a small place in the oh-so small town of Atrani. Their plans had changed continuously depending on their flights of fancy.

Being in Italy had breathed new life into Lily. They talked about her family more now, seeing as Jet had made a connection with them. She spoke of them with fondness rather than sadness. They discussed when they would tell the rest of the team that they were now engaged, or to just let them figure it out and be casual about it. Jet had suggested rubbing Joe's face in it, but Lily found that tacky. Cathy and Jimmy were the only ones to know so far.

Jet loved Italy more than he thought he would. He picked up the language easily, having only spoken Italian with his grandparents when he was child. He had always wanted to visit the country when he was human but the money or opportunity was never there. Now he had the means to travel and a companion (who snored loudly). Originally they would have been in Germany by this time, but Italy had so much to offer. Jet looked back at his fiancé, sleeping soundly and smiled sadly.

They had kept in touch with the rest of the 00 team constantly. Over the past two weeks there had been some strange cases around the world. One was of a statue crying tears of blood… Others were of extreme weather conditions causing fires, and countless people claiming sightings of flying creatures. Hysteria was breaking out as the odd phenomena became more frequent. Chang even reported that he threw several crazies out of his restaurant one night.

Joe, Francoise, Chang, and GB lead by Dr. Gilmore were headed out for the Middle East, after concluding that another attack may happen there. Albert would leave the following day from Germany. Pyunma and G Jr. were already on their way. They too, would join the rest of the team soon. Jet felt a squeeze of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. Most likely, they would have to fight. He knew Lily was the now the strongest member of the team, but her being in the midst of danger made him feel sick, especially after what R-02 had said. Jet rubbed his temples wondering how he could change his mindset.

After spending almost two months being a normal couple, they now had to don their uniforms and revert back to their cyborg egos. Jet never worried about himself in the battle before. In fact, he actually looked forward to the thrill. Knowing that he was fighting against such evil while pulling the most unimaginable stunts was something he felt wrong for loving so much. Well delivered attacks left him replaying the action in his head for days after and got him pumped for the next encounter. Even though he fought in a team, he rarely worried about his comrades. They could handle themselves, and he was always there to come to their rescue when needed. But now, he had Lily. Even though he knew that if push came to shove, Lily could probably destroy all of them, as was the intention for her creation, something deep within him screamed out to take her and run far away from all this insanity.

Rising to his feet, he walked quietly out onto the terrace. He looked up at the clear sky as the stars started to appear. Then he bent down and took her book, closing it. Lily frowned and mumbled in her sleep, "We don't need more mozzarella, Jet…." He chuckled softly and gently picked her up and carried her to bed.

….

Jet and Lily stood, donned in their uniforms, over a deep ravine. Thunder rumbled in the dark sky, rivaling the hollow sounds of shells from the nearby fighting. "They are right in the middle of a war here, but this is where the Dolphin signal is coming room," Jet spoke, as though to himself. "Yeah, and G Jr. and Albert are coming from the north side. We better get going," Lily responded and took off using her accelerator. Jet also activated his and followed, as his accelerator was not as speedy as hers or Joe's.

-Jet! I can sense another presence up ahead!-

-I feel it too, there are several. Hang back a little. I will scout from above!-

Jet ignited his rockets and tore ahead, bypassing Lily as she slowed down. He flew in stealth mode as he reached top speed. Up ahead, he saw a figure in red floating up through the air. 'Joe!' As Jet approached the scene, he could see that Joe was tensed in pain as his back arched. Suddenly he dropped through the air. Jet swooped down and grabbed him. "002!" Joe exclaimed. "Thought you might need a lift!"

Lily reached the scene, seeing G Jr. lifting a giant boulder and tossing it down into the gorge. Albert stood next to him. She leapt from boulder to boulder to join them. "Hey guys, what's jumpin'?" Albert turned to her with a smirk. "Oh, you know, the usual." The rest of the team regrouped, facing off against the enemy; a panter , a bull soldier, a woman in a long cloak, and a young man with flaming hair steering a chariot with winged horses. The latter spoke in a booming voice, "If you are not afraid, you should be!" He extended his palm and the earth beneath their feet started to vibrate. Small pebbles rose into the air and suddenly, jets of lava spewed from the ground. The flames enclosed around them, forming a prison.

The bull soldier directed an electrical current to the flames, causing an explosion. The cyborgs were hurled to the ground. The chariot rider flew over them and peered down. "Tell me… now do you know how foolish it is to oppose the gods?" he mocked. Lily pulled herself up, seeing her team mates struggle to do the same. "You are no longer amusing." The flaming haired man stated coldly and raised his hand into the air, but his attacked was interrupted as a sapphire blue arrow streaked past his face.

The team followed his gaze, seeing a huge robot with a young female archer and boy standing on its shoulder. Her outfit was similar to the chariot rider's and her inky blue hair covered one eye. "You shouldn't have done that, my dear sister," the chariot rider began but was cut off by the young woman. "Apollo, stop this at once!" He smirked, "Why should I?"

"When humans ceased to believe in us, we were no longer responsible for them. But they are not our enemies and it is wrong to our powers against them!" The bull soldier stepped forward. "But Artemis, we should get rid of these pests while we have the chance. Besides, they're not humans, they're cyborgs!" Artemis ignored him as her gaze bore into her brother. "Apollo." He tensed and returned her harsh gaze. "I understand. My sister, Artemis, is right. It's over. Come, all of you. We are going home." And with that, he cracked the reigns for his winged horses. One by one, the rest of the enemies disappeared, except for Artemis. She gazed down at the 00s. "There is a lesson to be learned from all this. People forgot about us for centuries, and they will forget about us again. Eventually the earth will be peaceful once more and people will forget this happened."

Joe rose to his feet. "Forget? Hmph. **Forget?!** Tell that to the families of the men that died in that war!" Artemis sneered, "Humans invented war before they invented gods, so their cruelty to each other is their own affair, not ours. Humans are naturally aggressive and fight bravely and well, but they rarely know when to stop. So in the name of peace, they ask the gods to help them vanquish their enemies. The gods merely fulfill that request. After all, that is why humans invented us in the first place." Smoke blew up, obstructing her from view as she disappeared, along with the giant and little boy.

…..

Jet punched the metal wall of the Dolphin. "Uhhh! There's something wrong with this picture but I don't know what!" Albert looked over at him. "You're right. We don't know if they're gods or what. All those impressive moves we saw them do could have just been some sort of advanced technology."

"Look at this, someone else is out there!" Dr. Gilmore exclaimed. The team turned towards the radar screen as he tapped on the keys. "Let me turn on the camera and scanner." The screen changed windows and there stood R-02 in her navy uniform a few yards from the ship. "Uh, I should have known," Lily muttered.

"Well, she had tipped you off on the attacks before they happened. Maybe she wants to talk?" Pyunma suggested. "Let's meet her outside the ship, just to be safe," Albert added. Joe nodded and made his way for the exit. Lily shrugged, "Okay, but if she bites me again, I will not be held responsible for my actions."

…

"Looks like you arrived a little too late for the action, R-02," Lily stated, trying to keep her composure. R-02 looked at her with dead eyes. "I saw everything, I just hung back." Lily glared at her. Jet stood beside Lily and crossed his arms. "What business do you have with this?" R-02 crossed her arms over her chest and stared back at him. "My business is taking down anything that is a threat to humanity." Joe stepped forward. "Then we have a common goal, R-02. Why don't you join us now?" R-02 titled her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "I was thinking about it. But, I am not joining if this plain Jane is your alpha," she nodded towards Lily.

"What?! What she say?" Lily started to stomp towards her but Jet grabbed her scarf. "I thought I was alpha," Joe whimpered as Francoise patted his back. Now Albert spoke, "We are a team, no alpha, omega, or lone wolves. You gotta play nice if this is to work." R-02 smirked at him. "Very well, I will give it a shot. Once we take care of these gods, we split. Deal?" Lily jumped up. "Don't shake on it, Albert, that vamp will bite you!" Albert chuckled and extended his gun hand out. "No point trying to bite this, R-02." She stood forward and took his hand. "I could bite through Ionsdaleite if I wanted, but I already have my connection here," she flashed a brilliant fake smile at a glaring Lily.

Over the transmitter, Dr. Gilmore spoke, "I have traced the gods trail to the Island of Magma. We better follow them before they attack again." Joe raised his fist to his chest, "Alright, let's get going team!" and he turned on his heel, heading back into the ship. "Pffft, try hard," Jet mumbled to Lily. The rest of the cyborgs got on board, tailed by Lily and Jet. Francoise spoke to R-02 as they walked down the hall. "I will go and get a bed made up for you, R-02. Thankfully we have a spare." R-02 put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. "Don't worry about it, I don't sleep," she responded flatly. Lily elbowed Jet so hard he almost fell over. "See?! She IS a VAMPIRE!" she hissed.

…..

R-02 Mini Profile:

Code: R-02

Name: R-02 will do fine.

Abilities: Rejuvenation/ Healing / Acceleration / Super strength / Reinforced skin/ Intuitive / Vamp

Age: Late 20s

Height: 5'10 (178cm)

Weight: approx 70 kg/ 155 pounds

Build: Slim / alethic

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Dark bown

Descent: Looks Indian but NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

Defining features: Silver skin when in battle. British accent.

…

Author's note: Just a little background on R-02. More shall be revealed later! :D


	12. Chapter 12: Hunting for Witches

Author's note: Lolz at R-02 D2! As long as Pyunma can be BB-8! XD Thanks for the review!

Hope this one is worth my nonsense….!

I tried to write about cybernetics but let's face it, I don't have a clue. So what I wrote may not make sense IRL buuuut to be fair, crazy stuff happens with the cyborgs (like 007 having THE BEST power or all those weird physic ones… not much explanation is given to their powers. So please, just roll with my theory *pushes glasses up on nose*) ENJOY! Can't wait to hear what ya think :D

….

Chapter 12: Hunting for Witches

…..

"She gives me the creeps. She is just so weird and cold," Lily sighed as she sat with her teammates in the common room. Pyunma was piloting the Dolphin and R-02 was mediating in a spare room on the other end of the ship as finished examining her. They had a few more hours to get to Greece where they would stop before going to the Island of Magma in order for them all to recover to full strength before seeking out the gods. "Well, Jet was also weird and cold when we met him and look at him now!" Chang piped up. Jet's mouth dropped as he turned to the chef, "Hey, shut your mouth!" Albert shrugged, "Well, if you tried warming up to her and ask her about herself, maybe she will warm up to you?" Lily turned to him to face him properly. "Warm up to her? I say we burn her at the stake. See if she is a witch, anyone else in favor?" GB slowly started to raise his hand, only to be smacked down by Albert. "We are not hunting witches, it's bad enough we are hunting gods." Lily chuckled and continued, "But I did try! I was like, 'Hey, R-02, we started on the wrong foot here. Let's start with introductions. I'm Lily, I am from New Orleans, and I was training as a botanist before all this crazy stuff happened. What about you?' and she was like, 'I am R-02 and my personal information is classified.' Pppppppfttt!" Lily threw her hands up as she mocked R-02's British accent, badly. "Sorry, but I am getting tired of this, 'Oh I am so mysterious' act."

Jet chuckled at her impression and Albert shook his head, "Well, perhaps after this god issue is sorted out, she will relax a bit." Lily eyed Albert carefully, 'He seems pretty interested in R-02….' She glanced over at Jet who gave her a knowing nod. Her train of thought was interrupted by Dr. Gilmore's announcement over the intercom. "Alright, everyone, I need to see you one by one to check your vitals. It shouldn't take long. Lily, will you come first please? I also what to check that bite you sustained a few months ago." Lily looked down, pulling at the sleeve of her right hand and tracing her fingers over her wrist.

…..

Lily sat on the edge of the bed as Dr. Gilmore compared his notes. "Well, Dr. Gilmore, what's the verdict?" she asked nervously. He turned to her and took off his glasses, resting them on his notes. "Lily, your core make up has shifted from when we initially met. Your self-heal ability has manifested, meaning that it is now powerful, but also unbalanced. I am afraid that if you push yourself in battle, you could risk over powering your system and it could shut down, placing you back in a coma." Lily leaned forward, elbows on her knees, trying to process the information. "But Dr. Gilmore, I can't not fight," she responded quietly, not meeting his gaze. "It's too risky, Lily. It is best to stay on board when we reach the Island of Magma and I will run more tests and take samples. You would be a danger to the team if your system shuts down during any confrontation." She sat up straight and her hands balled into fists. "But I can't let everyone else put themselves at risk! I will be careful, I promise." Dr. Gilmore shook his head. "No, my girl. You have no control over this. I assure you that I will do everything I can to try and resolve this issue." Lily's shoulders dropped.

"How did this happen, Doctor? Was it all R-03's fault?" Dr. Gilmore stroked his beard. "There is a missing link between you, a 00 Cyborg and the R Cyborgs. You have absorbed power R-03 and it has altered your system. It makes me wonder if you were created with the intention of being able to take on the same make up as the R Cyborgs. As for being R-02's fault….. Hmm. It's hard to say. It appears your readings have altered since then. It could have been because of the incident with R-02. Her energy could have reactivated what was already there after the energy transfer from R-03. After taking a reading from R-02, you both initially had very different make up. However, yours is more like hers now, but not exactly the same. Remember, this is a theor- where are you going?" Lily was already at the door, "I am gonna burn that witch for doing this to me!" Dr. Gilmore hopped up from his seat. "Lily! Sit back down, right now. We have no proof of this." Lily turned back to him. "We have a mission to take care of. We cannot start fighting amongst ourselves. Now, I am going to take more samples from you to run further tests." Lily scowled and sat back on the bed. "Honestly, Lily, I see more and more of Jet in you every time we meet."

….

Lily bounced her leg impatiently as she sat at the monitor in the control panel of the Dolphin. Jet, Joe, Albert, R-02 and Francoise had gone to map out the location were the gods were hiding. She was under house arrest for the foreseeable mission, as Doctor Gilmore deemed her a risk. Her right hand found her ring finger, and she traced where her ring should be. It was tucked safely away with her belongings but she now felt naked without it. She thought of Jet and she stomach flipped. 'This must be how he feels about me going out into danger. I hope he is okay. But, if I feel anything, I am leaving this ship to get him and NOTHING can stop me.'

Suddenly, something collided with the ship and everyone was sent flying forward. Then the ship started to lift out of the water. Pyunma hit the scanner and brought up an image of the huge robot. "Firing primary rear torpedoes!" The giant released the ship and she rocked back and forth. "We're being dragged underwater! Activating reverse thrusters!" Pyunma called out. The ship lurched forward, despite the powerful thrusters. "It's no good, we're going down!" Lily flew out of her seat, at the ship nosedived and spun. Everything blurred and Lily felt her stomach flipflop as she held onto the edge of the radar panel. She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed down the sick feeling. Then everything turned white and the room stopped spinning. Lily slowly opened her eyes. Her grip on the panel loosened as she realized they were now above water again. She looked over at Ivan, seeing his left eye glowing, his pudgy little hand outstretched. "Good thing Ivan woke up!" Chang spluttered as he hauled himself up. G Jr. placed Doctor Gilmore back down on the ground and Pyunma stumbled over to the scanner screen. Lily slowly got back on her feet. She wobbled and grabbed onto her chair for support. "Well, Ivan will probably be out for a couple of weeks after that," Doctor Gilmore stated quietly, looking down at the tiny infant. "The others are returning." Lily's ears pricked at Pyunma's announcement. "Except…. Joe is not with them."

…..

The team stood in the cockpit of the Dolphin watching Pyunma dive into the water. The search for Joe had begun. The rest of the team had to be checked by Dr. Gilmore before joining the search. The group filtered out as Albert was the first to repaired, leaving just Jet and Lily in the room. He collapsed into a chair. "Well, what happened out there?" Lily asked, sitting beside him. "Well, we did a great job of getting beat up. Joe did manage to take out that panter guy before he was shot in the side." Lily looked up at the screen, the tracker following Pyunma. -Think Joe is okay?- she asked internally, for fear Francoise would hear. She choked up and ran off to her room once they had finished updating the rest of the team on Joe's disappearance. –He'll be fine, I am sure. Francoise said the shot was on the right side and low.- Lily nodded and stretched back in her chair. "It's hell having to stay put while y'all take care of this." Jet looked at her sadly, "I know you're frustrated, Lily, but you know Dr. Gilmore wouldn't keep you here unless it was really necessary." Lily sighed heavily and played with her ring finger again.

"I am just worried, Jet. What if this can't be fixed? I can't just sit on the sidelines, knowing I will never get a chance cos I'm a ticking time bomb." Lily leaned her elbows on her knees and rested her head in her hands. Jet reached forward, and squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry, Lily. Dr. Gilmore is a genius. He'll figure something out." Lily gave him a small smile. The intercom crackled. "Jet, please proceed to my lab for repairs." He rose to feet. "Well, I guess that's me. Catch you later, Firefly," he bent down to give her a peck on the cheek and left.

…..

Several hours later, Jet and Pyunma returned with Joe, who had his wound dressed by the blue haired goddess, Artemis. He relayed what she had told him. Chang agreed that she had a strong point; humans indeed have been an aggressive species. The rest discussed the reality that war seemed to be the only way to move forward, only to be silenced by G Jr. and his statement on positive thinking. GB then returned, adding more information on a human working with the gods. Dr. Gilmore recognized GB's morph and concluded that he was Gaia, Black Ghost's right hand scientist who believed that cyborg advancements should not be hindered by human emotions or memories. "His work method was insane. He removed the human memories from his test subjects in order to make them function robotically. It was unethical and so sad," Dr. Gilmore explained.

R-02 looked up from the corner of the room and then walked out, down the adjoining corridor. Lily noticed her leave. GB was explaining about the machine he found in the base of the temple. Ivan's basket floated up, distracting everyone. Nobody seemed to notice that R-02 vanished, so quietly, Lily also left the room.

"The world's in great danger. These beings have the same physic power as me and with that machine they can more than double their strength. They have the capability of destroying the entire planet." Lily could hear Ivan's voice as she quickly went to the control panel. She checked the radar to see that R-02 was already on the Island of Magma. 'She must have used her accelerator. I wonder what she is up to…' Lily furrowed her eyebrows. 'I knew there was something odd. Maybe she has an alliance with these god cyborgs. I better check it out. I can go out and be back before the others notice, Joe needs to be fixed up after all.' Lily used her accelerator and sneaked off the Dolphin to tail the mysterious cyborg.

….

R-02 stayed hidden as she watched Gaia walk along the forested path to the cliff's edge. She clenched her teeth and then accelerated, appearing in front of him, blocking his path. She aimed the blaster between his eyes. "Not a sound, Gaia. I will not hesitate in pulling the trigger," she stated coldly. Gaia raised his hands. "Who are you?" he hissed. "I am R-02. You must have worked on me. I will lower my blaster if you agree to cooperate with me." Gaia nodded and R-02 lowered her gun. "Ah, yes, R-02. I did work on you briefly, before R-03 and my mythos cyborgs proved more promising. What do you want?"

Lily skidded to a halt, hearing voices up ahead. She crept quietly, keeping to the shadows. She spied R-02 talking with the same man GB had shown them. 'That sneaky witch! I knew it!' Lily then launched herself forward, grabbing R-02 and knocking her to the ground. She rolled over on top and punched R-02 in the face. "I knew it! I knew you were bad news!" she shouted. R-02's skin started to turn silver and she growled, "Get off, you moron, you don't know what's going on!" Lily raised her fist again when a blue light glowed behind her. R-02's eyes widened as she watched Lily jerk, back arching as a blue arrow hit exited out through the left side of her chest. Lily's pupils contracted and her mouth opened. A small gasp escaped her lips as she fell forward on top of R-02. Panic flooded R-02 as her heart beat quickened. She grabbed Lily by the shoulders and rolled her away, seeing the deep wound right through her heart. Her navy uniform darkened as the blood seeped through the material. Lily's eyes rolled back in her head.

Back on the Dolphin, Jet jerked upright and he blood ran cold. "Lily! Something happened!"

Gaia turned towards the source of the arrow. He raised his gun. "Your purpose to me has been served, Artemis. He pulled the trigger. A laser split the night air and Artemis stumbled back, and disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

….


	13. Chapter 13: Ache

…..

Chapter 13: Ache

…

Jet touched down on the cliff face and ran towards R-02, who leaning over Lily. He shoved her aside and kneeled down beside Lily, grasping her by the shoulders. "Lily? Lily?!" he cried frantically. The rest of the team joined them on the cliff and rushed forward. Jet felt his heart ache as it beat erratically. Lily was cool to his touch. He felt the pooled blood on the ground seep into his knees. He turned to R-02 and grabbed her by the scarf. "Why did you do this?!" R-02 pushed him away. "It wasn't me, it was Artemis!" Joe gasped, "No way, why?" Jet looked back at Lily. She wasn't breathing. His hands flew up to this head. "Do something, R-02! Heal her!" R-02 bit her lip and looked at Lily's pale face.

"S-she's dead."

Jet felt his head spin. 'No, no, no. Not like this!' He grabbed R-02, his hand squeezing around her neck. "Then bring her back!" She shook her head, "It won't-" Jet shook her, "Try goddamnit, or I swear, I will rip off your head off here and now.

"You don't understand what is-."

"I don't care!" Jet shouted as tears streamed down his face. "Do something! Bring her back!" R-02 squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Jet released his grip and moved away, giving R-02 room. He held Lily's hand as R-02 braced herself and then moved her hand over the wound. With a sharp intake of breath, she slowly pushed her fingers down into her chest. Jet groaned and forced himself to not look away. "I need to start her heart…" R-02 muttered. She gasped and moved her fingers further, touching Lily's still artificial heart. R-02 closed her eyes and focused. Her fingertips started to warm up. She placed her left hand over the side of the wound and again, felt her hand warm up. Jet looked on, seeing the sweat drops form on R-02's brow.

 _Th-thud th-thud_.

R-02 pulled back as though she had been shocked. Lily's body jumped and her eyes shot open, her pupils slowly dilated until the irises were hardly visible. The skin around her eyes started to turn silver. Jet gasped, dropping her hand. Slowly, all her face and hands began to turn silver as the hole in her chest closed up. Lily blinked several times and slowly sat up. She looked straight ahead, her pupils still dilated, making her eyes pitch black. "Lily, thank goodness! You did it, R-02!" Jet exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Lily stayed stiff and didn't respond. "Hey, Lily?" he asked again, softer this time. R-02 was on her hands and knees. She slowly raised her head to look at Lily. 'No…. it shouldn't have….' Jet let go of Lily and looked at R-02. "What's going on, why is she…. silver?" He looked back at Lily and waved a hand in front of her face. "Lily? Are you oka- whoa!" Jet was thrown back as Lily got to her feet with lightning speed. Joe and Albert stepped forward, flanking Dr. Gilmore. "Lily has now taken on the same form as the R cyborgs. The link has been bridged." He stated softly. Lily took a step forward and her leg wobbled. She blinked again and her pupils contracted, her eyes returning to their blue grey color. Her skin reverted back to normal as she fell forward on her knees. Jet ran to her, dropping down to grab her by the shoulders as she passed out. "Lily," he sighed sadly, pulling her close as her head lolled onto his chest.

Francoise's touched her temples. "The god cyborgs! They are coming this way!" Dr. Gilmore bent down beside Jet and Lily. "I need to get her back to the Dolphin, fast. Her system has overloaded. Jet, fly us back and then join the others." Jet nodded. He kneeled down, lowering himself further. "Hop on my back and hold on, tightly." Dr. Gilmore locked his arms around Jet's neck. He picked up Lily bridal style and stood slowly. Bending his knees, he took off for the Dolphin.

R-02 turned towards the group. "GB, you need to bring me to the energy room. I have to find Gaia and destroy the base. The rest of you, good luck." She grabbed GB without awaiting his response and took off towards the temple. Albert turned to the rest of the group. "Let's show these gods they are nothing more than cyborgs, we got this!"

….

"Jet, you must hurry and get back to the team. I will take care of Lily from here." Dr. Gilmore's words snapped Jet back to reality. He glanced again at Lily, who looked like she was sleeping soundly, while the monitors connected to her wrists and chest beeped. She was out of her ruined uniform and in a white gown. "Right. Thank you, Doctor. We'll take care of this," he called out as he left the room. Jet pushed the image of Lily's vacant black eyes and expressionless, silver face from his mind as he climbed back up onto the deck of the Dolphin. 'I need to get my head in the game, this is going to be a huge fight!' he ignited his rockets and tore off through the sky as dawn broke.

…..

The battle was brutal. R-02 could sense everything that was happening above ground as she and GB made their way through the maze of the basement of the temple to the power room. Blasters ready, they burst the door open. "Gaia!" R-02 called out, seeing him standing in front of icy blue pods, holding the human bodies of the god cyborgs. He turned towards them and smirked. "Ahh, more flawed cyborgs." GB frowned and kept his gun pointed at the black bearded scientist. "Gaia, I will spare your life if you can restore my system," R-02 stately calmly. "What? What are you talking about, R-02?" GB demanded. R-02 raised her hand to him. "Wait, GB," she whispered. "Ahahahaa! That is not possible, R-02. Why would I undo the beginnings of my great work?" R-02 clenched her teeth and shot her blaster, hitting him in the knee. He shrieked as he fell to the floor. "Next time, it will be between the eyes, Gaia," R-02 answered coolly.

Gaia raised his head smirking as blood pooled around him. "Don't matter. Black Ghost will carry on my work. I am a god now, I have done it! All the cyborgs are just pawns to my legacy!" He threw his head back and laughed manically. R-02 fired her blaster, silencing his laughter. GB looked on in horror. She turned to him, looking up at the mechanism for the power room. "Looks like this thing is about to blow." GB looked up and nodded. "We gotta rally the troops and get outta here!"

(I am not writing the battle scene because I simply cannot do it justice! So, at this point, watch episode 25 of the 2001 series….. only difference is that I had R-02 kill Gaia instead of Apollo… oh, and stayed on the Dolphin with Lily.)

….

Jet disappeared back down to the Dr. Gilmore's lab as the rest of the team watched the Island of Magma burn from the deck of the Dolphin. The god cyborgs decided to stay and be destroyed, despite Joe and Francoise's pleas. Tears poured down Francoise's face as she clutched the little, pink handkerchief she had used to tend to the child cyborg. Jet dashed through the corridors until he reached the lab. "Dr. Gilmore, how is she?"

"She is stable, for now. Are all the god cyborgs destroyed?"

Jet sighed with relief and walked over to Lily's beside. "Yes, they chose to stay on the island and burn with it." Doctor Gilmore nodded. "How sad, what a waste." Jet stroked Lily's hand. "Is she in a coma again, Doctor?" he asked softly. "No, my boy. Her system has already healed all injuries. I am assuming she is just overwhelmed from shock and should come around soon."

"Is she still…. A risk?" Jet asked quietly, turning towards Dr. Gilmore. He shook his head. "Her system has rebalanced. She is now running with the same energy force at the R Cyborgs. That is why she turned sliver earlier. Her self-heal will now be instantaneous." Jet looked back at Lily. "So, that is good news, right?" Dr. Gilmore continued putting his equipment and samples away. "Yes. R-02 modified her heart, the center of her power source, which in turn changed the rest of her system. An upgrade, if you will. Prior to this, her system was torn between the older 00 modification, and the influx of R technology from her battle with R-03 and bite from R-02. Her system seems to have been built with this upgrade in mind, which makes sense. 0014 was the code for the last 00 cyborg. Everything became R after her. In a way, her code would now be R-14. Or R-04. Anyways, Lily had told us about Black Ghost's plan for full rejuvenation and reanimate." Jet looked up at the doctor, confusion written across his face.

"Reanimate?"

Dr. Gilmore sat down on the opposite side of Lily's bed. "Jet, I know you have been through hell and back but I need you to listen very carefully." Jet nodded and stopped stroking Lily's hand, waiting for Dr. Gilmore to continue.

"Lily died, Jet. She was technically dead for at least 10 to 15 minutes." Jet swallowed hard. "But, R-02's powers worked, she is breathing now. She is alive again, right?"

Dr. Gilmore nodded, "Yes, she is. In a normal circumstance, people don't survive a trauma like this. However, R-02's power restarted her heart and altered her power. R-02 transformed her. I am still not sure how this works, or what method Black Ghost wanted to use. Possibly the intent of turning humans into cyborgs without the surgery you all went through. As we saw, Lily had died on that cliff. Her vitals are her heart, spinal, and of course, brain. Any destruction to these three areas shuts down her self-heal ability. The same goes for R-02." Jet turned back to look at Lily. "I am not sure I can process all you said to me, Doc. Main thing is, she is alive."

The rest of the team filtered into the lab, R-02 bringing up the rear. "How is Lily?" Joe asked. Jet turned to him and smiled. "Doctor Gilmore said she should wake up soon." GB sat down on the chair at the end of the bed. "Oh thank goodness! Looks like you saved the day for our team, R-02," he stated softly, turning to look at her. Jet turned around as well. "Yes, thank you R-02, I don't know what….. thank you." R-02 avoided their gaze and twisted her hands. The monitor beeped loudly, attracting their attention. "Ah, she is waking up," Doctor Gilmore stated. Lily slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times. The rest of the group moved closer to look at her. Jet reached forward and smoothed her hair gently. "Hey, you gave us quite a scare, how are you feeling?"

Lily blinked at him several times and moved her hand up to her chest over her heart. "It, it feels s-strange," her voice rasped and broke. She looked back up at Jet. Doctor Gilmore produced a small needle. "Lily, I need to take a sample from you again, now that you are awake." Lily did not respond or reply. "Lily?" Dr. Gilmore tried again. Jet glanced over at Dr. Gilmore and then back to Lily. "Um, Lily, did you not hear Dr. Gilmore? He needs to take a sample from you," Jet asked smiling warmly at her. "Guess she is still a bit out of it, Doctor."

"Who is Lily?" she asked softly.

Jet felt his gut clench. "What?" he choked out. Dr. Gilmore placed a hand on Lily's shoulder, causing her to look up at him. He saw no recognition in her eyes. "Do you know where you are?" he asked softly. Lily's gaze went from him to the faces looking at her and up to the white ceiling. She shook her head and looked at Dr. Gilmore again. "She's playing, Doc! C'mon, Lily, you are on the Dolphin. This is not the time to pull one of your pranks," Jet started to laugh nervously. Lily turned back to Jet. "D-Dolphin?" she asked hesitantly, her face blank. Jet felt tingles up the back of his head. "Lily, it's me, Jet. You know me," he pleaded softly. He saw the confusion on her face. She looked scared as she slowly shook her head. G Jr. put his hand on Jet's shoulder. "Give her a minute, Jet. Let Dr. Gilmore work," he said quietly. "We should all go and give them some space," he added, nodding towards the group.

Jet stood up shakily and turned towards the others and locked gazes with R-02. "R-02, back on the cliff….. when I told you to bring her back. You said I don't understand…. What did you mean?" R-02's closed her eyes as she whispered, "I didn't want to. I didn't want this to happen." Jet walked towards her and grabbed her by the scarf. "Jet!" Francoise called out as Albert stood forward, taking Jet's upper arm. "Jet, stay calm," he muttered.

R-02 refused to meet his harsh stare. "It's what happened to me. When they changed me fully, I lost…. I lost my memories too. That's why I went to Gaia. I wanted him to restore my memor-ies," she rasped, her voice cracking. Jet's eyes widened. It all made the sense, the reason she told them no personal details. Not even her real name.

"Why didn't you say this could happen?!" Jet bellowed his grip on her tightening. R-02 grabbed his arm and pulled it down, squeezing and making him flinch. She looked at him sternly through tear filled eyes. "What were the options? Leave her dead? Would you have left her dead instead of losing her memories?" R-02 raised her voice, challenging him. "Wh-what's going on? Who died?" Lily's voice squeaked as she sat up in the bed.

Hearing Lily's voice, Jet turned back towards her, letting go of R-02 fully. Lily looked like she about to cry out of fear and bewilderment. "Ssssh, it's okay. We'll explain. Everything is fine," Francoise spoke calmly as she took Jet's seat at the head of Lily's bed. She reached out, placing a hand on top of Lily's. "I am Francoise, a friend. This is Dr. Gilmore," she motioned towards the doctor, "and your name is Lily." Lily looked back at Dr. Gilmore who nodded. Then she looked back at Francoise. "Lily…." She repeated softly. Francoise smiled and nodded. Jet looked at the rest of his team, sadness and worry written across their faces. He bowed his head and turned on his heel and sprinted from the lab as the tears threatened to fall.

Joe stepped forward to follow him but Pyunma pulled him back. "Let him go, for the moment. This is too much for all of us to take in; we can't even comprehend what he is going through right now." Joe turned to look at Pyunma and nodded sadly. "Let's go back to the control room. We need to plan out our trip back to Japan." Dr. Gilmore looked over at Joe and Pyunma. "Yes, please start making arrangements to at least move away from here, for now. I am sure that explosion will attract attention. Then, once the area is clear, we will fly back to Japan." GB rose to feet, "C'mon Chang, let's head to the kitchen for now. Francoise and G Jr., I think it's best if you stay here with Lily," he stated softly, smiling at her warmly. "Don't worry Lily, you are in safe hands with these two," he added. Lily gave him a weak smile and nodded. Albert walked towards the doorway with GB and Chang. "I am gonna go and see how Jet is doing shortly," he whispered. He turned to R-02. "Can I speak with you, in private, R-02?" She looked at him, eyes still red and nodded, following him out of the room.

Francoise watched the team leave. G Jr. sat at the foot of the bed and Dr. Gilmore went back to his desk and started to jot down some notes. She turned back to Lily, her hand still on hers. Lily had her eyes on G Jr. "Oh, this is G Jr., Lily." He gave her a little smile and wave. He leaned forward in his seat and spoke calmly and softly. "Lily, what is last thing you remember?" Lily looked at him blankly. "Try closing your eyes and breathe deeply, filling up your stomach. Take your time, we are not in any rush. Let your mind calm," he instructed softly. Lily nodded and closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing.

"I remember lights. Bright lights over me. I was on some sort of metal table. There were men with masks and I couldn't see their eyes. Then, everything went dark…."

…

Author's note:

 _Oh ohhh ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…. I am getting more feels….._

 _Excited to hear what you think! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_


	14. Chapter 14: Meet Again

Author's note: Shout out to SF! So glad you appreciate my evils! (Well, I hope so anyways!)

…

Chapter 14: Meet Again

….

Jet held onto the sides of the sink as the tap ran. Albert had already come knocking on the bathroom door but he refused to answer. He watched the water swirl down the drain until it made him dizzy. Sighing, he looked in the small mirror wincing at the sight of his red, puffy eyes. Splashing cold water on his face again, he shut off the water and turned away from the sink and eased himself onto the tile floor.

'What the hell am I going to do? She doesn't know me. Doesn't know that we are together… She doesn't even know her own name.' Jet pushed his fists into his eyes. "Damn, damn, damn…" His muttering was interrupted by another knock on the door.

"Jet, open up. It's just me," came Albert's soft yet authoritative voice. Jet sighed and pulled himself up and turned the handle, unlocking the door. Albert looked taken back and reached a hand forward to Jet's shoulder, but he pulled back and lowered his gaze. "Francoise and G Jr. have been talking to Lily. She is asleep now. Dr. Gilmore gave her something to help knock her out. He hopes that it might not be hopeless, that some of her memory may return. We need to talk with R-02 to get a better idea of what to do. I tried to talk to her earlier but she was the usual. Vague."

"How much did Francoise and G Jr. tell Lily?" Jet asked, his gaze still not meeting Albert's. "They got to the part about R-02 restarting her heart before she vomited and passed out. She does not recall any personal information about herself. She just has vague memories of being operated on, nothing else." Jet looked at Albert. "How is that possible? I mean, people who suffer brain injuries and memory loss lose months or years, not…. _everything_. How can she lose it all from her heart…," Jet rambled. His medical knowledge did not expand beyond what Dr. Gilmore said or storylines from Scrubs.

Albert nodded. "This was no brain injury, Jet. It was a total system restart. Look, let's meet with the others and try and figure this out, alright?" Jet nodded and gruffly rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. "Alright."

…..

Everyone sat in the control panel next to the cockpit, so that Pyunma could also hear the discussion. Jet glared at R-02. She stared right back at him with her own dark gaze. Dr. Gilmore cleared his throat and spoke. "R-02, I know this is going to be hard for you, but you must tell us about the process you went through in order for us to help Lily." R-02 crossed her arms and broke Jet's stare to look at the doctor. "All I remember is waking up from the surgery where they updated my heart and core system to allow for full rejuvenation. Everything after that, I was told by my scientist, Dr. Wright. I was given a file with my personal information, which I have now found to be correct, after I researched myself."

"Have any memories of your life before Black Ghost come back to you?" Doctor Gilmore probed. R-02 took a deep breath and sat up straight, resting her elbows on the table.

"None."

Jet's shoulders dropped. He felt tears sting his eyes once again. "What information do you know about yourself, R-02?" Albert inquired.

"I know that my name is Sunita Kaleka. I am 28 years old and I was a resident of Oxford. I studied genetics and was working at one of Black Ghost's lab's as an intern. That's all. I searched for this information and found it to all true. Although according to my file, I died in a car crash in Japan over a year ago." Francoise looked at R-02. "I am so sorry, R-02. I can't imagine what that is like." R-02 looked at her, her mouth a hard line. "You can't is right. I thought all of you were the same. But when I connected with Lily, I saw her past life. I guess that is also why I bolted that night, because it overwhelmed me. I could not believe that she had maintained her memories. For me, it's like I know of Sunita as another person, as though reading a book. I did not have to learn how to walk or talk again, but I don't know how I know the things I know. I know about genetics, but I have no recollection of studying them. I know how to drive, but have no recollection of learning. It's like flying through fog and I am on autopilot."

"Dr. Gilmore, is there some possible way of tapping into R-02's or Lily's mind and restoring their memories?" Joe asked. Dr. Gilmore stroked his beard and then spoke. "I do not know. The memories must be locked away in order to be stored. A back up, if you will. It sounds like Dr. Wright was able to perform a selective edit by keeping ability but removing detail. As we saw with the mythos cyborgs, Gaia input artificial memories in them, making them believe they were all relatives and gods. It will require research and help from Ivan. However, chances are he will be asleep after using so much power during the battle."

"Then we have to form a plan on what we can do now to help Lily," G Jr. stated quietly. "She has taken the information well so far, as good as can be expected at least," he continued. Francoise nodded, "Yes, I was thinking that we could write down information for her, help her to remember."

"She won't remember," R-02 snapped. Francoise glared at her. "Fine, information for her to learn then. So she can learn to be her." GB leaned forward and locked eyes with R-02. "Just because it happened a certain way for you doesn't mean it must be the same for Lily. We have to keep positive about this." R-02 turned away.

"Francoise is right. The quicker we get Lily back to her normal life, the better. Generally, that is what is recommended for patients who suffer memory loss." Dr. Gilmore added. Francoise broke her angry stare and looked over at Jet. "You should gather items for Lily. Photos, any momentums…. Did she ever use a journal?" she asked kindly. Jet thought for a moment and then jumped out of his seat. "Yes! She wrote in her diary every day! I'll go get it!" Jet dashed down the hallway to where they had stored their bags. He fell to his knees and pulled Lily's bag onto his lap and started rifling through it. He pulled out her phone, journal, and at the very bottom, his hand landed on the little, velvet ring box. Jet swallowed and pulled it out. 'Maybe… maybe this will be too much information, just yet.' Gingerly, he placed the ring box back in the bag and zipped it up.

…

A few hours later, over coffee, Francoise, Jet, Joe, G Jr., Chang, and GB wrote out flash cards with information for Lily. Jet was having most difficulty with this task. He wanted to write down all the recent events that had happened, but figured it was best to start from the beginning. He wrote about their meeting at the base and how Lily had healed him. This led him to writing about her finding him on top of the burning Silvers' hotel. Francoise also gathered photographs of everyone and labeled them with their names, codes, and abilities. As the evening wore on, they finished up and most began to retire for the night. Dr. Gilmore informed them that Lily would probably be out for the rest of the night, and left the monitor in her room with a note for her along with the labeled photos of everyone, in case she wakes up.

Jet just kept writing. He had decided that there was no hope of sleep now, so he may as well keep going with writing down everything that had happened between him and Lily. Eventually, he was the only one left in the common room. G Jr and GB were on pilot duty until Albert and Joe took over at 6am. Jet leaned back in his chair and checked the time. 2.15am. He yawned and put down the pen, scanning over the dozens of pages he had written. 'I think I have written more here than I ever did in high school.'

….

Lily groggily opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She rubbed her eyes and waited for them to adjust in the dark room. She turned to her right side to see 2.30am lit up on the little alarm clock. She pulled the bed linen off and swung her legs over the side of the mattress. Her hand found her throat and she swallowed. The taste of iron made her cringe. Hopping down off the bed, she looked around the room for any water. None. On the other bedside table, she found a note and some Polaroid photos. She read the note first.

Dear Lily,

In case you wake up, here is some information to help you remember. You are recovering from a life changing incident and have lost your memory. You are on the board the Dolphin ship with your new team mates, who are your friends. Please find attached the photos and names of everyone.

Best,

Francoise

Lily flicked through the photos and labels: Ivan 001: physic powers, Jet 002 flight and acceleration, 'Ah, he's the loud one that was there when I woke up.' Francoise 003 enhanced sight and hearing….. Lily Silva Ryan 0014 Super strength, acceleration, and rejuvenation. 'Well, looks like I win at being a cyborg then with a triple whammy.' Lily placed the photographs and notes back down on the table and rubbed her temples.

'What is going on. I feel like I woke up from a long, long sleep. My brain feels like cotton wool… and all these new people. The story. What we are. What was I before? Who was I before?' Lily yawned and stretched.

'Time to explore.' She reached the back of her night gown to check that it was not open. It was more of an oversized t-shirt than a traditional hospital gown and it reached her knees. Lily made her way over to a door. Turning the handle, she entered and found herself in a small bathroom. She switched on the lights and went over to the sink, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on her face. Looking up into the mirror, her breath hitched in her throat. Her eyes widened. She pulled down the shoulder of her gown to see a light pink line running down her neck and across her clavicle. "What the…." She muttered. Quickly, she pulled up her gown to see the same lines running down her legs and across her knees and ankles. 'Maybe… maybe it's from the surgery, from becoming a cyborg. So, it's not a story after all.'

Lily dried her face and left the bathroom. Back in recovery room, she found another door. 'Let's see what's behind door number 2….' Dim lights lit up the long hallway. Lily turned left and quietly walked down hall. 'Like a horror movie. Something with a ship. Eh, a space ship. And aliens… or Martians? And this is how she died….. again.' Lily smirked to herself. 'Boy, I have really lost it.'

…..

Jet jerked upright in his seat when he heard the door open. He blinked several times as his eyes settled on Lily, peeking in. She gave him a little wave and smile. "Sorry to wake you, I was on the hunt for water," she whispered. Jet just stared at her. Lily waved again. "Umm, do you know where I can get water, please?" Her question snapped Jet back to reality and he got up and stumbled as he made his way towards her. His first instinct was to hug her, but a little voice in the back of his head reminded him of the situation. "Yeah, sorry. In the kitchen, I'll show you," he whispered and walked out into the hall, joining her. "This way," he pointed and started walking. Lily walked a pace behind him. 'This is so weird, how do I act different around her now?' Jet thought. He led her to the kitchen and switched on the fluorescent light. "Uh, just water? I can get you something else, or food if you like." Lily shook her head. "Just water, please. My throat is like sandpaper."

She took a seat at the table as Jet brought over two glasses of water and sat opposite her. "How do you feel?" he ventured. Lily downed most of her water and sighed. "Better now," she smiled. "And like I have been hit by a truck," she added. "Oh, what are these?" she asked, pulling up her sleeve, showing him the pink lines on her arm. "Umm…Those are from your initial skin reinforcement surgery." Lily's gaze dropped and she pulled her sleeve back down. "Oh, riiight. Guess I have to realize this is normal for me now." Jet nodded sadly. She looked back at him, seeing that he was uncomfortable.

"You're Jet, right?" Lily whispered, as though trying to polite in an awkward meeting.

"Ah, umm, yeah, it's Jet. Jet Link." He rubbed the back of his neck and blushed slightly, mentally cursing himself for sounding so awkward. Lily smiled and took another sip of water. "Alright, Jet, Jet Link. Nice to meet you. I am Lily Silva Ryan. Bonus points for me for remembering my own name, yusssh!" Lily made a mock victory fist shake. Jet looked at her in surprised and then smiled. "Well, you still got your sense of humor."

"I do? Oh, I mean of course I do. I knew that," Lily smiled. "Hahaha, I feel like I am crazy. Like this is all a dream. But I don't know what I have to wake up to." Her smile drooped slightly. Her eyes locked on his amber gaze. "You were there when I woke up," she spoke quietly, almost questioning. Jet nodded. "I feel like I know you," she added, giving him a lopsided smile. He just looked back at her, mouth slightly open. Lily titled her head, and then embarrassment flashed across her face. "Sorry, maybe I don't. I don't know." She dropped her gaze and rubbed her temples. "This is all so confusing."

"You do know me. We know… knew each other very well," Jet said softly. Slowly, Lily looked up, meeting his eyes again. She folded her arms on the table. "Do you remember…. Anything about me at all?" Jet asked his voice hesitant. Lily searched his eyes. "I do not remember but I feel… something." Jet eyes watered and he bowed his head slightly. "I-I'm sorry," Lily stuttered. "Tell me, tell me how we knew each other well."

"It's a long story. I don't want to overwhelm you." He responded flatly, not meeting her gaze.

"Please, I can see how upset you are," Lily was out of her chair and by his side, her hand hovered over his. "I want to kno- whoa!" The contact of her hand on his sent a volt through her. An image of Jet smiling and holding out his hand to her on the beach flashed before her, followed by his view point of her, asleep on his chest. Lily pulled her hand away, clasping it with her left hand as though she had been shocked. Jet hand pulled back too, standing up out of his seat. He towered over her. She looked up at him. "What…. What was that? You…. You a-and I?" she stammered. Jet's shoulders dropped and he nodded slowly.

"Yes. And this happened before, where I could see inside your head." Lily's eyes grew wide. "I need to sit down. I need to…. Take this in." Jet rushed around and pulled out the nearest chair for her to sit. Lily pushed her elbows onto the table and held her head.

"So, you can see inside my head?" Jet took the seat next to her. "Yes, especially during times of stress. It hasn't happened often." Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "But, the second image, that was from your eyes. Does that mean I saw inside your head too?" Jet thought for a moment and then nodded, "Yeah, I guess. The only times I ever saw inside your head was when you were having nightmares, and I saw what was causing them." Lily swallowed hard. "So, you, I, we, ummm. We're a couple?" Jet nodded. "For how long?"

"Just over four months. Since we met, six months, but we were separated for two months after meeting." Lily rubbed her eyes. "I am sorry. This is so weird for me, but now, knowing the situation for you… I'm so sorry." Jet patted her shoulder. "It's okay. I just hope you are not, disgusted or something." Lily's face flushed. "What? Of course not! I am just, well, it's news. Sorry that our reunion wasn't more, uh, romantic or something." Her cheeks went pink. "Well, now you have to tell me the story of us."

"Actually, I wrote it all down. As much as I could, at least." Jet rose to his feet. "I left the papers in the other room, I'll be right back," he added before turning away.

"Hey, Jet?" he stopped, resting his hand on the door frame and looked back.

"From what I saw, those looked like great moments."

Jet gave her a small smile. 'From our last day in Atrani and the night when you agreed to marry me.'

"For me, they were the greatest."

….

Author's note: Arrrrrghhhhhhhh! Need to get the next chapter rolling….. work is a pain in the butt at the mo! I have ideas, this will happen! :D xxxxxxxxxx


	15. Chapter 15: I'll See Your Heart

Author's note: I wish I could write faster! My mind is moving too fast for the story lolololol.

….

Chapter 15: I'll See Your Heart

….

GB yawned and pulled at his scarf, undoing the knot and letting the fabric fall down his shoulders. Albert and Joe had relieved them of their pilot duty and they were only two hours or so away from their second home in Japan. It was just after 6am, but GB was no stranger to tea at any hour of the day, so he trudged down to the kitchen area. Chang would be up shortly to start breakfast and GB figured he may as well help him and then rest once they get to Japan. He sighed when he thought of what they were now going to do about Lily and R-02, or rather, Sunita. G Jr. did not talk about it much, only telling him about how they got to explaining about her becoming a cyborg and then her death and rebirth. Once Lily received this information, she emptied the contents of her stomach. 'No wonder. Maybe they should have eased into that conversation. The poor girl doesn't even know who she is! Imagine… she has to learn to be her again.'

He pushed the swinging metal door leading to the kitchen and was met by sight of Lily kneeling on top of the table with papers, photographs, and coffee cups scattered around her. Jet sat at the table, still in uniform, shuffling through more papers. They both turned to him, Lily pointing at him and squealing, "GB! Great Britian 007! You read Shakespeare to me and worked with me in the…. The… ahhh, Magic Pan! Yes, the Magic Pan!"

GB's eyes went wide and then he broke out in a huge smile. "Yes! You remember?" He dashed over to the table and then noticed how all the papers were laid out.

"Well, no. I'm sorry. But I am studying. See? Jet is helping me create a timeline with all notes and photographs." GB's smile faltered slightly and he rested his elbows on the table. Jet noticed his disappointed expression and he also felt his own stomach knot. "GB, want some tea?" he asked, trying to break awkward tension. "Oh, yes. Please." GB turned to him and gave him a sad smile. "Anything for you, Lily?" Jet asked softly as he got up from the table. Lily shook her head. "No thank you, anymore coffee and I may die of heart failure." GB looked up at her and raised a brow. Lily shrugged her shoulders. "It's not too soon if I joke about my own death, right?"

"So, how is the, umm, self-study going, Lily?" GB asked kindly as he pulled out a chair to sit down. Lily put down a photograph of Cathy and Jimmy. "It's going well. I am learning. But it feels like I am learning about someone else. I am learning about my time in New York right now. So, I have discovered my real name is Silva and Professor Ryan gave me his name to start a new life. I only have information from Jet about my real family, as he met them." GB turned towards Jet, eyes huge. "What? How did this happen?" Jet put the cup of tea in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, GB, I did not give any information away. They still believe that Lily is…. Is.."

"Dead," Lily added flatly. She sighed. "Doesn't even bother me anymore, turns out I have died or come close quite a few times! Actually…. Maybe I am dead now. Maybe you two are my angels." Jet and GB blinked at her. "Though I don't think angels wear red uniforms like yours! Ohhh, maybe I am in hell actually." GB chuckled with Lily and Jet smiled.

"I just wish, I could remember my family," Lily sighed, arranging herself in a cross legged position. "I have no memory. I know that I have one, but until Jet told me, I didn't know how many people, or names, or anything." She added sadly.

"It's frustrating." GB patted her knee. "We'll get to the bottom of this somehow, Lily."

The door swung open and in stepped Chang, decked out in his chef outfit. "Morning, Chang!" Lily called out, waving. "Good morning everyone. Now get out of my way, I need to start cooking!

…

Jet led Lily back to the small medic lab. "Um, do I have any other clothes, I feel kind of awkward in this hospital gown-thing." Jet looked around the room and then realized their bags were stored in his room. "Yeah, I'll go grab your bag. I'll be back in a moment." He turned away and headed out the door. Lily put the photographs down on the lab table. She made her way over to the small bathroom, remembering she had seen a shower there when she was exploring earlier.

Switching on the shower and dropping her gown on the floor, Lily sat on the floor of the shower and let the scalding water cascade down on her. Just like laying the photos and papers like pieces of jigsaw on the kitchen table, she began piecing together all the information from the past couple of hours in her mind.

'Not only am I now a lethal, self-healing cyborg with no recollection of my past, I am also in a relationship with another cyborg; the tall, quiet but confident, American.' Jet's broken expression flashed before her. 'How can I continue to be in a relationship with someone…. I don't know. Those memories I saw when we touched… It was ME but did not feel like… me." Lily rested her head back on the tiled wall. 'It's clear he is already heartbroken over this. How can I not make it any worse for him?' Exhaustion starting to take over and her heavy eyes closed.

….

Jet put their bags on the bed and started to go through them, taking out some clothes for Lily. He placed her journal back in his own bag after deciding that all the recent information on their relationship would be too much for her right now. Once again, his hand found the velvet ring box.

He opened the box and his shoulders fell. The tiny ring glinted in the fluorescent light. 'Will she ever wear this again?' Shaking his head, he snapped it shut and secured it in the front pocket of the bag with a little more force than necessary. 'I'm a fool for thinking all this would be okay. I don't deserve happiness. It's my fault for thinking I am entitled to a normal life. She looks at me like a stranger, even after seeing the photographs and reading parts of what I wrote. We'll never be the same again.'

"Jet?" He whipped around to see Albert in the doorframe.

"Yeah, wha?" Jet's voice came out in more of a pained grunt that a bark.

"Well, I was going to ask about how it's going with Lily now, but your tone says it all," Albert sighed as he sat down. "Get off my back, Al. She doesn't remember me. She saw inside my head, she saw some memoires of us, so she knows what we had but she…. She... What if she just ends up like R-02 and leaves us…" Jet's frame began to shake and the tears threatened again. Suddenly, he felt Albert's arms wrap around his shoulders. Jet jerked back but Albert did not let go.

"Jet, keep it together. R-02 lost her memories and was left at the base. She had no one to turn to, only the scientists and Black Ghost to train her. Lily is with us, and more importantly, with YOU. R-02 is messed up because of that, but Lily has a chance. You cannot expect her to fall back in love with you after everything that happened. It will take time."

Jet felt his knees weaken as he turned and slumped against Albert, his right arm finding his back. He nodded slightly into his shoulder.

"Just like that time when she was in a coma. We'll bring her back. You'll bring her back. I believe in you. Now, get changed out of your uniform and get back to her. You have a lotta work making that poor young woman fall in love with a hothead like you." Albert grinned and Jet shoved him lightly but also smirked back. "Count on you to ruin a moment with your smart ass comments, Heinrich."

…..

Clad in jeans and a striped shirt, Jet walked back to Dr. Gilmore's lab with clothes and shoes for Lily. He opened the door and stepped into the vacant room. "Uh, Lily?" Jet asked aloud. The sound of running water brought his attention to the bathroom door. "Oh, you'r- hey!" Jet spotted water seeping out from under the door. He dropped the clothes and ran to the door and started knocking. "Lily? Lily!" Nothing. He tried the handle. Locked. Jet squared himself, and hit the door with his shoulder. On the second try, the door flew open and Jet stumbled, almost slipping on the wet floor. He saw Lily, laying down, in fetal position on the shower floor, the water pooling around her and overflowing from the shallow drainage ledge.

"Lily!" Jet scrambled over and hit the shower off, and crouched down beside her to lift her up and out of the water. His hand went up to her neck and face, feeling her pulse. Lily's eyes slowly opened.

"Uhh, J-Jet?" she murmured. Her eyes focused on him.

"Thank goodness you are okay! What happened?"

Lily blinked several times and rubbed her eyes. Then her gaze dropped and realization hit.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jet was sent flying back, sliding along the wet floor.

"OHMYLAWD I'M NAKED! GET OUT GETOUTGETOUUUUUT!"

Jet turned his head and raised a hand in front of his face. "Okay, okay! I'm going." He turned and got to his feet, and pulling the door after him. "I'll be right outside."

Closing the door, Jet looked up to see Joe, Francoise, and Dr. Gilmore at the entryway of the lab, blinking at him.

"Jet, is everything oka-" Francoise started, taking in his scarlet face and sopping wet clothes

"Yes, Francoise, do you not have eyes?! Everything is OKAY AND PERFECT AND FINE. GO. AWAY."

"I'm soooo embarrassed! Someone come and kill meeeeeeee!" Came Lily's muffled plea from behind the bathroom door. Jet turned, fists balled up. "No! No more dying for you! Get dressed and get over it!"

Joe tried to contain his snickering. Jet looked like he was about to blow up.

"Alright! Show is over folks, move along!" Jet stomped towards them and slammed the door of the lab shut. He could still hear Joe snickering as they walked away. He turned back to the room, picked up Lily's clothes and placed them on the bed. Then he collapsed in the small armchair beside the door as his long legs stretched out in front of him. He sighed heavily. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid…'

Eventually the bathroom door opened slightly and Lily peeked out. Her face was still flushed. She cautiously stepped out, wearing a towel, her wavy, wet hair sticking to her shoulders.

Jet blushed again as he sat up straight and cleared his throat. "Lily, I am sorry for barraging in, but when I saw the water- I panicked." Lily nodded and walked over to the bed, sitting down. "I know, I understand. It's just…. Well, you know." She fidgeted with the twisted bed linen. "I guess if I had my memories, you seeing me like that would not have been a problem. I just feel embarrassed right now."

Jet nodded. "Actually, we had a similar experience to this, before we got together. But it was the other way around," Jet smiled, dropping his gaze. "I had left the water running while in the bath and you shoved back the curtain to turn off the tap. Uuuhh, you saw me. In all my glory." Lily stared at him wide eyed.

"Um, I brought you some clothes." He muttered, pointing to them on the bed. Lily turned and placed a hand on the small pile. "Oh, thank you. I'll just go change in the bathroom, then."

Jet hopped up. "No need, get dressed here. I am gonna go and change out of these wet clothes. Bye." He did not meet her eyes and placed his hand on the door handle. He gasped when he felt her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry, Jet!"

Jet froze, feeling her lay her head on his back.

"I'm sorry we can't be the way we were! I don't know what to do. I am not a stranger to you, but you are to me. I don't want you to be, I just don't know what to do…. I don't know what to do….." her voice cracked and Jet felt her begin to tremble. He turned towards her and her grip loosened, but she kept her hands lightly on his waist. He looked down at her as she raised her head to meet his gaze, her eyes full of tears.

This time, Jet did not hesitate. He pulled her in, his arms enveloping her. Lily began to shake as she could no longer hold back the tears and her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Ssssh, Lily. It's gonna be okay." He cooed as he hand rubbed circles on her back. "I understand that this is a lot of pressure on you. I am here for you….. as whatever you want me to be." He whispered his mouth close to her ear. Jet felt Lily's legs wobble as she began to fall. He allowed her to drop down as he went with her, sitting on the floor and drawing her close, pulling her up onto his lap. Lily readjusted her towel, securing it up and around her chest. Jet automatically looked away and Lily smiled and sniffed.

"Nothing you haven't seen before, right?"

"Right, but I know how lucky I am," he smirked slightly.

"You're crazy," Lily mumbled and laid her head on his chest. Jet's arm found its way around her shoulders. She sighed heavily. "I feel something with you, there is no doubt about it. And I know you care for me. Can you just give me time, to figure all this out, Jet?"

Jet took her chin in his hand and guided her to meet his gaze. "Lily, I am here for you no matter what." Lily's breath hitched in her throat. Warmth spread across her cheeks as her heartbeat quickened. His soft, amber eyes bore into hers. Her hand reached up, covering his. Lily leaned in slightly, trusting how she felt. Despite the wet clothes and cold floor, she felt warm and safe in his embrace.

Their foreheads touched gently and Jet moved, titling ever so slightly. Lily closed her eyes as his hot breath tickled her lips. Jet's hand moved from her shoulders up to her neck and into her hair. "Lily…" he whispered.

Then, she pulled away, turning her head and dropping her gaze.

"I'm sorry. I need more-"

"Time," whispered Jet.

Lily nodded and pushed her hand into her eyes and then up into her hair. "My heart has not caught up with my head." Jet's eyes widened as he felt his stomach drop. Her shoulders slumped as she rose to her feet. Jet followed, not meeting her gaze.

"I'm gonna go change. Meet you back in the kitchen, okay?"

"M'kay," Lily muttered, rubbing her arm. The door closed. Lily was sure there was no possible way he could have left any faster.

…..

Exiting the lab wearing grey jeans and a blue button down shirt, Lily almost bumped straight into R-02. Lily looked up at the tall woman, clad in a midnight blue uniform. "Oh, hi. R-02, right? My creator?" R-02 narrowed her eyes at Lily. "What?"

"You know, how vampires turn people into other vamps. They become the creators."

"No, I did not know such nonsense. How do you know about it?"

Lily shrugged. "I dunno, it just popped into my head. You are the one that brought me back to life, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Lily blinked up at R-02, unable to determine if she was sincere or sarcastic.

"You better hurry up and eat. Once we land in Japan, we begin our training," stated R-02 as she walked away. Lily had to jog to catch up with her.

"What? What training?"

"Your cyborg training. You have new abilities now. Also, I am guessing you probably do not recall what you learned at the base. I will re-train you."

"Umm, did the group decide this?"

"No, but they will come round. You are almost as strong as me now. They are all too weak to train you and unleash your full potential. We begin at noon. Now stop following me." R-02 stopped abruptly and entered a room, shutting the door behind her. Lily blinked and scratched her head.

"Jeez, what a grump."

Joe's voice crackled over the intercom, distracting Lily. "Everyone, we will be preparing to land in roughly 80 minutes. Please start getting ready, we are almost home!"

…..

Author's note: HOPE YOU LIKE ARGGGGHHHHH. Action coming soon!


	16. Chapter 16: Maybe

Author's note: SORRY! Work and school had taken over my life! D:

…

Chapter 16: Maybe

….

Francoise stepped daintily up the low sand dune, gingerly avoiding the marram grass. The light breeze blew, sweeping her skirt and jacket. Reaching the top, she looked out onto the strand.

"Good idea on choosing the best vantage point for this show," came Joe's soft voice. Francoise did not turn around and instead, sank down onto her knees.

"I don't think this is a good idea," she whispered, her hand rising up to her temple.

Joe crouched down beside her. He followed her gaze, seeing Lily clad in her navy uniform with Jet and G Jr. a few feet behind her, also in uniform. Albert stood about ten feet from Lily, his arms crossed as he looked in the direction of their beach house. The rest of the team were not in uniform and sat nearby in the sand alongside Professor Gilmore.

"Well, Professor Gilmore said it's best to test her new ability in a controlled environment. And Sunita is the one who can show her how to utilize those new powers."

Francoise looked at Joe and titled her head.

"Do you trust Sunita?"

Joe bowed his head slightly. "Yes. I think she is rough around the edges but she has shown no reason for us not to trust her. I wonder if she will stay with us."

Francoise looked back out at the sand. "I just don't know what to make of her yet. Anyways, we have enough to worry about with Lily. Do you think she and Jet will ever recover?"

Joe rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, it's not looking good. He has already moved all his stuff back into our old room. I am just glad I am not sharing with him anymore and he has the room to himself."

"Did you try talking to him about it?"

"Yes but it didn't go well. He was muttering something about Lily saying that her heart and head are not matched up, and there was no way they could share a room. He had tried to hug her and she is not comfortable with it." Joe blushed slightly. "It didn't exactly help when I told him you and I are now in a relationship and are staying together."

Francoise nodded as her cheeks pinkened. "Yes, not exactly the best timing."

Joe reached out and took her hand lightly, stroking her fingers.

"Sunita is coming," Francoise stated flatly. "Let's hope…. She'll behave."

…..

The loud splash of water startled Lily and she stopped fidgeting with the gold buttons on the front of her jacket. Sunita appeared a couple of feet in front of her, her grinding stop causing her raven hair to fan out, covering her face.

GB dashed out in between the two. He had somehow acquired a microphone and threw up a fist into the air.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentleman and welcome to Clash of the Cyborrrrgs!" he hollered.

"Really, GB?" Albert snapped, raising an eyebrow.

GB turned to him and shrugged. "Come on, Albert, we need to lighten the mood somehow." He turned back to rest of the team and cleared his throat.

"Today, we have a very special show! A display of skills, strength, and power." He threw out his arm, gesturing to Lily. "Innnnnnn this corner, hailing from New Orleans, standing 5' nothing we got Lilyyyyy Silvaaaaaaa! Due to her memory loss, Lily is going to relearn everything there is to being a cyborg. Don't let her cute face fool you, this southern belle has surprise abilities. She'll probably surprise herself!"

Lily turned towards Jet and G Jr. and shrugged, giving a lopsided smile. GB then extended his arm towards Sunita.

"Aaand in this corne- what? Ow! OWWW!" Sunita grabbed his microphone and smacked him on the head. A huge bump popped out of his temple as GB collapsed to the ground.

"You are not amusing," Sunita mumbled flatly as GB morphed into a seagull and took off, carrying the microphone in his beak.

"Alright, here is how this is going to work. First, we'll spar. If you don't activate your powers, then I will attack properly. You got that?" Sunita crossed her hands in front of her chest.

"But, I don't know…. I don't know how to fight properly," Lily stuttered, suddenly very hot in her uniform.

"You do, you just don't remember. You'll act on reflex."

"Oh, okay then. Well le-hhheEYY!" Lily was flung back and rolled, heels over head on the sand. She pulled herself up and shook her head. "I thought spar meant non-contact!"

"We are cyborgs. Spar means not kill each other," Sunita responded deadpan as she stood over Lily, her fist raised. Lily sprang up and back flipped out of the way. Landing on her feet as she struck a defensive stance.

"That's more like it," Sunita smirked and then accelerated, disappearing from sight.

"Lily! Use your accelerator too! The switch is in your back left tooth!" Jet called out. Lily looked over at him wide-eyed but was then thrown back, as a force knocked her off her feet. Sunita appeared before her again.

Lily ran her tongue at the back of her teeth and felt the switch. She clenched her teeth, hearing a click and then a low fizz, like air from a bottle of pop. She launched herself off the ground, seeing Sunita move in slow motion, her leg raised to come down on her. Lily grabbed her by the shoulders, swung over her and then planted both feet on her back, pushing her down into the sand. Lily then ran away, now taking in how the world looked in her accelerated state. Everything was moving slowly, sounds echoed in her ears, as though they were full of cotton wool.

As she looked at the waves glistening with droplets of water hanging in the air, Sunita crashed into her forcing her into the water. The impact of breaking the water's surface felt like shattering glass. Lily winced as she went under, pulling Sunita with her.

Sunita pulled at her scarf and headbutt Lily, and then landed a punch into her stomach.

Jet stepped forward only able to see the splashes of water and not the two women fighting.

"She is going way too hard on her!" he cried.

G Jr. put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you feel it or do you just think it?" He asked quietly. Jet's shoulders dropped. "Think," he muttered.

Sunita pulled at her scarf and headbutt Lily, then landed a punch into her stomach.

Jet stepped forward, only able to see the splashes of water, not the two women fighting.

"She is going way too hard on her!" he cried.

G Jr. put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you feel it or do you just think it?" He asked quietly. Jet's shoulders dropped. "Think," he muttered.

Sunita threw Lily out of the water and then rammed into her, driving her back onto the sand. Lily exited her accelerated state and gasped for breath. Sunita stood over her. Lily looked up, her hand obscuring her vision. Lily gasped, now seeing that Sunita's skin had turned silver.

"You need to change like this," Sunita stated, holding out her palms. "Just breathe deeply. You'll feel it."

Lily blinked several times and then closed her eyes. She took several deep breaths and then shook her head.

"Then I'll force you to change," Sunita growled and grabbed her by the neck, pushing her down into the sand. Lily's eyes went wide as she struggled to breathe.

"Stop that!" Jet shouted and ran to them, flanked by Albert.

Jet felt like his heart was going to burst. He could feel Lily's heart beat uncontrollably as the image of her being choked by R-03 cut through his mind. As he was about to grab Sunita by the shoulder, she was thrown off and over Lily. Sunita crashed headfirst into the sand and Lily rolled over onto her side. Jet dropped to his knees put his hand on her arm.

"Lily, are you oka-" his voice trailed off as he took in Lily's silver face and hands. In a split second Lily was back on her feet. She stretched, arching back and then flipping over, landing gracefully.

"This…. This feels amazing!" she cried out as she accelerated out of sight.

Sunita looked up and smirked. She then accelerated and chased after Lily. They exchanged blow after blow but this time, Lily felt nothing. Sunita was quicker at landing hits on Lily, however Lily deflected as many as she could. She was still smiling.

"Sunita, this feels incredible!" she announced.

"I know, it's another level," Sunita responded and grabbed Lily, putting her in a headlock. They both left the accelerated zone and Sunita squeezed her arm around Lily's neck.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I win," she smirked.

"What? No fair, you didn't say that at the beginning," Lily whined. Sunita released her and then sat on the ground beside her.

"You need to work on being able to activate your next state, when we turn silver like this. To return to normal is the same, just breathe deeply," Sunita instructed.

Lily closed her eyes and did as she was told. She felt her body cool down. Opening her eyes, she noticed her hands were back to normal. She turned them over examining them and then rubbing them.

"Oh, that was pretty easy," she mumbled.

"Now, try reverting back. Again, deep breaths," Sunita explained calmly. "Fill your stomach with air as you breathe and focus your energy.

Lily drew in a deep breath, filling up her stomach as Sunita suggested. Slowly, she felt her skin tingle and heat up. She watched in amazement as her fingers slowly started to turn silver again.

"Well done. Looks like you got the hang of it," Albert stated warmly. Lily nodded at him. She picked herself up back on her feet. Considering that Sunita had beaten her, she felt no aches or pains anywhere in her body.

"Thank, you Sunita. For showing me this. Even though you scared me," Lily tried giving her a weak smile as her skin reverted back to normal. Sunita's skin was also back to its beautiful tanned hue.

"You're welcome. We should still train again before I leave," she added quietly.

"You should consider staying with us for a while at least, Sunita. We can monitor from here, especially after that mythos fiasco, you never know what Black Ghost might send after us later," Albert spoke, causing everyone to turn to him.

"We'll see," Sunita responded flatly as she walked away. "Thanks," she added weakly, seeming like she was doing her best to sound nonchalant. Lily stared after her.

"Well done, Lily! Next time, I am sure you'll win on Clash of the Cyborrrgs!" GB grabbed her arm and raised it up in a mock victory. A white bandage covered the bump on his forehead. Lily giggled at his dramatic tone and he gave her a wink.

"Thank you, it's all pretty surreal, having this ability. At least now I know y'all haven't been telling me lies," she smiled.

"We all better head back to the house and start monitoring," Albert added. Professor Gilmore nodded. "Yes, and I'll like to run a few tests on you, Lily. Please stop by my lab later," he requested as he walked away, leaving only Jet and Lily standing on the beach. Lily turned towards him.

"Hey," she greeted softly.

Jet looked at her, somewhat coldly and then dropped his gaze. "I put all your bags into your room. All the papers are there too, as you wanted."

Lily felt a lump form in her throat at his tone. "Thank you, Jet" but he had turned and began walking away. "Hey, please wait!" she called out, walking after him.

Jet continued walking.

"Jet, please! I want to talk," she pleaded.

He slowed to a stop but did not turn around. "Talk about what?"

Lily stopped, standing behind him. "About us."

"There is no us. You said so yourself, your heart has not caught up with your head," he answered bitterly.

Lily felt her stomach drop, recalling those words. "Yeh, I mean yes. But, we still have to talk. You can't be upset about this, I have no control over it."

Jet turned around towards her. "You're right. You have no control over it. You can't control how you feel about me and I can't make you love me the way you did."

"Maybe that will change, maybe we can be-"

"I don't want to hear maybes. I grew up listening to people's maybes and broken promises. Right now, you look at me like I am stranger. What we had is gone."

Lily's shoulders dropped. "You told me you are here for me, no matter what."

Jet's frame shook slightly. "I don't know if I can be. I'm sorry." And with that, he pushed down into the sand and his jets ignited, pushing him up into the air and out of sight.

…

Author's note: Argggggggh the feels! What will they do?! Let me know what you think! :DDD


	17. Chapter 17: Storm

Author's note: *waves*

Shout out to SomeoneForeign for getting me on the go again! The juggling act continues but I really hope I can update more regularly! xxxxxxxxxxxx

…..

Chapter 17: Storm

…

40 hours. Practically 2 days.

That's how long it had been.

Lily dug her hands into her jean pockets as she strolled along the shore. Her brow furrowed thinking of the last words Jet said to her. How his attitude changed and his promise to her was broken in matter of seconds. She waited on the beach for him to return, until the sky darkened and Albert joined her.

 _"This is pretty normal, Lily. He'll probably come back in a day or two when he has cooled off."_

Lily kicked at the tiny, lapping waves in frustration. 'He just took off. He can take off whenever he wants. I'm stuck here, in a house full of strangers and a life that was still completely alien to me. No, that is not exactly fair; they have been good to me. Even Sunita has stopped being a block of ice… but am I breaking up the team by staying? Jet was here before me after all….'

Lily glanced over at the beach house, light shining from the windows against the gray backdrop. The temperature was going down as the wind picked up. Lily gazed back out at the sea again, brushing her hair out of her eyes and watched the swell rise in the distance. 'Definitely going to storm tonight.'

Picking up her pace, Lily headed back towards her new home. Her team mates were going to be split between patrols and trying to relax. She was out of ways to relax. She had read all the papers her new family had written including Jet's, which had brought her up to moving back to Japan last November. This meant she was still missing about three months' worth of information. She read all her botany and Japanese books. She knew the information in them. It still felt odd, as though she reading something from years and years ago.

Quietly, she let herself in the front door, thankful that there was nobody in the front room to greet her and cause her to fake being okay, as she constantly had to do. Tip-toeing upstairs, she rounded the landing and headed for her own room. On the way, she took note of Jet's 'new' bedroom door. Whipping around to see if anyone had noticed her and seeing that she was completely alone, Lily tried the handle. The knob clicked and she pushed in the old door with a sad creak.

One bed was unmade and a few clothing items lay scattered on the ground. Lily gently closed the door behind her and made her way over to what she assumed was Jet's bed, guided by the dim light coming from the window as the sky darkened. Several photographs, most of which were turned upside down on the nightstand caught her attention. Lily spied a photo of Jet with Cathy and Jimmy at Disneyworld. She lay her fingers on an overturned photo on top of the little family photo. Turning it over, Lily's breath hitched.

It was of her and Jet, wearing flower crowns and holding champagne glasses while looking fairly merry. They looked happy, comfortable… like they belonged together. Lily recalled the only time she had seen Jet with a genuine smile, when she woke up and he was at her bedside. That image shattered when he learned that she had no idea who he or anyone was. Lily felt a tear threaten as she placed the photo back down, face up. Her hands found her knees as she hunched over, moving her feet back and nudging something under the bed.

Bending down and investigating, Lily saw a canvas bag. Curiosity getting the better of her, she pulled the bag out and opened the top flap. An iridescent notebook cover displaying all kinds of flowers sat on top. 'I really don't think this is Jet's style….' Lily's heartbeat quickened as the pulled out the small book and dropped the bag back onto the floor.

Opening the first page, Lily noticed her own, loopy writing. She had been sent through motor skill tests by Professor Gilmore, so she knew that it was definitely her own writing.

"Journal of Lily – the greatest novel to never be published"

Lily smiled to herself, realizing how much of a dork she must be. She was already barefoot from walking on the beach, so she pushed herself back, pulling her knees up to her chest as she rested her head on the wall beside the window. Raindrops started to patter on the glass as she breathed deeply.

'Why didn't he give me the journal yet? What was he hiding? Guess I have to investigate…. Investigate myself….'

Opening the first page, Lily felt her heart skip a beat.

 _Dec 26_ _th_

 _Dear Diary,_

 _This does not even seem real. I can't even being to write down everything that has happened this past month, not a mind the past year….. I do not want to start this diary on a depressing mode, so I will list the positive things that have happened and will happen._

 _1._ _I AM GOING TO DISNEYWORLD RIGHT NOW_

 _2._ _I met Jet, the love of my life._

 _3._ _We got engaged!_

Lily dropped the notebook on her lap as her hands shook. She leaned her head back and tried to steady her breathing, her right hand coming up and covering her mouth to conceal any squeaks or screams or wails building up in her chest. "Why….. why didn't he tell me…."

….

Jet touched back down on the cliff close to the beach house. Stretching slightly, he felt his joints twinge. Lightning split the sky and thunder rumbled as the rain got heavier.

'Perfect timing,' he muttered with a grunt as he made his way back to the house.

It did not seem to matter how many time he replayed the conversations in his head, no matter how many times he thought about what ifs or possibilities, the answer was the same. He and Lily were nothing now. Even if she learns about what they went through; the happy times, the near misses, the troubles, and their adventures, she'll never know the experience. Knowing they are engaged would not change anything. The others did not know either, so it would be easy to omit that fact and just erase it.

'We shouldn't have even been together in the first place. It was all a chance. Me getting injured at the base and Lily healing me, causing a bond. We had nothing in common, no connection before that. She still has the effect of that bond, but not the same feelings anymore. Albert was wrong, how could I make someone like her fall in love with me? Especially after the awkward way I acted. Then running off. I was a fool to think it would be okay. She is better off without me. I will just say sorry properly and cut my losses.'

Jet hesitated when he reached the front door. 'Please all be out, please all be out…..' he wished again and again as he keyed in the security code and opened the front door.

…..

Lily held the book close to her chest as the rain slammed down on the window panes. The thunder and sheets of rain was deafening but her head pounded. Tears streaked her cheeks as she tried to breathe deeply. The information was overwhelming. Her own words, stained in black and blue ink made her mind spin. She had pulled the bed sheets up around her legs and up to her chest as she shivered.

Resting an elbow on the window sill, Lily looked out at the water running down the glass panels. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and goose bumps dotted her skin as the bedroom door creaked.

The hallway light illuminated Jet's tall frame in the doorway. His hair and clothes dripped. He did a double take seeing Lily curled up on his bed, clutching her journal.

"Jet?!" she squeaked, her voice raw.

"What are you doing?" he snapped and then shook his head.

"I mean, where did you find…. Why did you..?" his voice faltered.

Lily's gaze dropped to the journal as she carefully set it down on the bed. She roughly ran her fingers through her hair and wiped her face quickly.

"I found it in your bag and I could not help myself…. Jet, why didn't you tell me we were engaged?"

Jet fought the urge to shout about going through his personal belongings. He was a stranger to her now, her words, therefore she should not be going through his things but that certainly would not help matters now.

"What does it matter, Lily? It wouldn't have changed things."

Lily stared at him wide-eyed.

"This changes EVERYTHING Jet! We were going to get married? This is not a relationship, it's a commitment."

Jet glowered at her.

" _Was_ a commitment, Lily. You don't remember. You don't have feelings because you can't remember experiencing them."

Lily threw the bed linen off her and jumped off the bed, standing in front of him. Her gray eyes locked on his amber.

"I have feelings now from what I read! How you accepted me, how you supported me….. how you said you would stay with me, even though I can't have kids, and I get nightmares, ohhh and how I get these random ideas and once ran off to New Orleans without telling you! How you met my family, who think I am dead, how you proposed to me, how we traveled around Italy and all our little adventures….."

Jet looked at her, dumbfounded.

Lily's voice began to quieten as she calmed.

"How… how I wrote you were the best I ever had. How no two times are the same. How I want you more and more everyday…."

Jet now looked away, feeling uncomfortable and hot under his wet uniform. Lily looked up, taking him all in. Admiring him. Tall, strong, uniquely handsome with his flaming hair and deep, fiery eyes.

"I want…. I want you to show me."

Jet gasped quietly and looked back down at her.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered as Lily closed the gap between them and took his hand.

"I want you. I want what it was. Tonight."

Jet swallowed hard and pulled her in by the waist. His eyes searched hers as her hands reached up slowly around his neck. He slowly dropped his head, tilting to brush his lips against hers, lightly at first. Then Lily pulled him down like her life depended on it. She kissed him back, making him groan softly. His arms circled her as she trembled, feeling the heat rise inside her. He gently pushed her backwards towards the bed just as the electricity cut, leaving them in darkness as the storm raged on.

…..

Author's note: Yusssssssssssssh! I couldn't have them upset at each other forever, right? But what will happen now….. ohhhh I could be evil again mauaauauahahhhaa. Let me know you think! xoxoxox


	18. Chapter 18: She is Not Me

Chapter 18: She is not me

 _She doesn't love you like I do_

 _She doesn't have my name_

 _However she tries to act like it_

 _She'll never be the same_

 _She's not me..._

Lily kept her eyes closed as Jet held her close to him, nuzzling into her hair. Her right hand lay flat on his chest, while the left twisted the corner of the pillow. He sighed sleepily and squeezed her tighter.

'What do we do now?' Lily tried to keep the dark, little voice quiet, but it was growing, echoing inside her head...

'How are you going to tell him?'

The storm continued to howl outside the window and made the old windows creek. Meanwhile, the rest of the team sat, crowded in a booth at the Magic Pan. Francoise stirred her tea, the only sound to match the crackle of the fire place as they sat in darkness. "When can we go back home, Francoise?" Joe asked, irritation in his voice. She sipped her tea, eyes closed. "Hmmm, another hour or so." Ivan wiggled in his basket by the fire. 6 solid days asleep now.

Lily lifted her head to see what time it was. 23.20 shone back at her from the analog clock. Her movement awoke Jet and hands slid down to her lower back. Lily turned to face him, giving him a weak smile. "Hi..." she said softly. He smiled back at her, his eyes heavy. "That was... well, amazing." She breathed deeply. Jet chuckled, "I had a great teacher." Lily raised an eyebrow. "You, you doofus!" He grinned and ruffled her hair. Lily giggled softly but then dropped her gaze.

"Jet, we need to -" but she was cut off as Jet sat up. "Lily, I know what you are going to say. We don't need to talk or worry, or stress. At least not for tonight. Everything is going to be okay." And with that he pulled her into a tight embrace. "I can't lose you again," he whispered into her hair. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you again," his voice cracking.

 _Does she make you feel wanted like I did_

 _Make you feel like you're the one thing that matters_

 _You let her head rest on your chest_

 _But when you close your eyes_

 _You'll be seeing my face again_

 _I'll be crossing your mind_

 _You'll be dreaming of places we went_

 _And then you'll wake up to find_

 _That she's not me._

Lily shuddered, and returned his affection by softening in his arms. She nestled under his chin and stroked his arm. Rain pelted the windows. The only light came from the analog clock. Even the street lights were out. Lily tried again.

"Jet, I'm afraid," she whispered. This time, Jet did not cut her off. "What are you afraid of?" He asked, hesitantly. Lily swallowed hard.

"I'm afraid that you won't love me like you loved the past Lily. I'm not her. No amount of learning, research and being reassured of my past self will make me her. All I can do is listen to stories, read what she wrote, and try to become her... but I don't know if I can." Lily sat up on heels. "What if I never get my memories back, or what if I am different to what you remember? What if.." Jet pulled himself up and leaned forward. Lily sighed again. "What if you can't love me like you used to?" Tears threatened to spill over.

Jet remained still. "Lily, you are worrying too much. I know you this is difficult but -"

"How do you know? You have no idea, Jet! I am trying so hard but I can't just pretend I am back to normal or something!" Her words were not anger, but panic.

"You are right, I am not trying to belittle what you are going through, I want you to know from my side, you have nothing to worry about. I love you. In every sense of love. The kind of love that scares me. You are not a different person, Lily, you are still you."

Lily shoulders dropped, "But I don't know... me."

Jet moved forward and put his arms around her. "We have to just do our best. I am so sorry that I was angry, and scared, and said shit things to you back on the beach. I was going crazy without you for the past two days." Lily wrapped her arms around his waist. "I missed you too."

He kissed her softly, hands moving up to her face. "I am not going anywhere. Old you, new you, all the same you, as far as I care. I am not scared for us anymore. I am not scared for you. You are my hero, Lily." And with that, he pulled her down, back into the twisted bed linen as lightning ripped the sky and the rest of the team made their way home.

...

Author's note: I live! Life has been crazy this past year - I could very use myself as an insert to a story here, looooool! Totally out of practice (of my shitty writing) so it is only short this time... have a few more chapters lined up to finish off this arc of the story. I missed writing. Currently doing this on my phone cos my laptop bit the dust wahhhh. Song is She is Not Me by Zara Larsson. I hope to have another up before Christmas, I HOPE! Xoxoxox


	19. Chapter 19: Confetti

Chapter 19: Confetti

2 weeks passed by in the blink of eye, while 001's eyes stayed shut. Formula and bottles stood on standby and Francoise kept vigilant for any sign of the youngest team member awakening from his slumber. It had been the longest he had been out for, though the battle against the Greek god cyborgs had been their greatest fight yet. Without 001, they would have never destroyed the core giving those cyborgs their powers, under the pretense that they were gods, not mere, innocent humans who had their lives and memories stolen from them. Francoise sat at the kitchen table and sighed heavily. 'Perhaps 001 will be able to help both 0014 and R-02 when he wakes up...' she stared out the window, seeing both 002 and 0014 walking along the beach, hand in hand. 'Although, maybe it is for best, not to relive the horror.'

Lily hummed as she kept pace with Jet's long, loping strides. He raised a brow and looked down at her, "What song is that?" Lily paused. "Hmmm I don't know the title, but the words and tune are there." Jet chuckled, "Happens to me all the time. Sing it, see if I know it." Lily almost missed her footing. "Whaa? I can't sing!" Jet gave her a hand a gentle squeeze. "Yes, you can. I mean, don't give up the day job, but can sing. We sang and played together at Chang's. Remember, it was in your diary." Lily looked up at him. "Like, karaoke?" Jet chuckled, "Nope, the real deal. I had my guitar and you had some cheap tambourine you found in the 100 yen shop. People came in off the street to listen. Passerbys probably would have ignored us back in New York, but guess it was something different here."

Lily felt blush creep cross her cheeks. "Come on, it's just us. Sing, maybe I know the song." Lily glanced up at him and then back down at her feet. She closed her eyes and cleared her throat. "I'll wear your winter coat, the one you love to wear So I keep feeling close to what's beyond compare..." her voice trailed off. She looked up at Jet. He nodded at her, with a small smile to say keep going. Lily smiled back at him.  
"The moments waking up, you catch me in your eyes That beauty on my pillow that holds me in the night... Um, you know it?" She added abruptly. Jet stopped walked and looked out at the waves. "I don't know the title, but it sounds familiar. We can check it out later on. Maybe pair it together with some strings and see if it jogs either of our memories." Lily smiled. 'He is trying so hard. And I feel like a fraud in all of this.' Her grip on his hand tightened as they continued walking along the sandy shore.

Francoise took in the young couple. 002 head and shoulders taller than 0014. He rarely left her side, since he had come back during that storm after the training with R-02. She had been hinting at Joe to talk to him, to suss out the situation. From the outside, they seemed like a normal couple, until 002 would say something to 0014 and she would have no idea what he was talking about. Was she okay in all this? Launching straight into a relationship and life that she never knew? Then again, what other choice would she have, just roam around like R-02? What kind of life is that?

Francoise jumped as R-02 strode into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Stop thinking about me, 003, I don't need your pity." Francoise gasped. "R-02, I.. I -" R-02 whipped around, holding a bottle of water. "So you were." Embarrassment glared on Francoise's face. R-02 chuckled. She turned to look out the window, seeing 002 and 0014 out in the distance. "They are lucky," she sighed. Francoise looked at her quizzically. Since Lily's memory loss, R-02 had been almost friendly. Still quite blunt at times, but certainly softer than their first encounters. Francoise recalled hearing her sobbing to 004 about her own memory loss at the hands of Gaia. 'Perhaps that caused her to let down those walls.'

"I worry about them," Francoise admitted. "002 has been hurt so many times." Her mouth formed a straight line, recalling the times he had made such an effort with her, taking care of her back at the base, and the looks of jealousy when she spent more time with Joe. How distraught he was when 0014 refused to leave the base, the months after that of pain. When she left for America without him. The realization when her memories were erased. It never seemed to stop.

"Yeah? By 0014?" R-02 inquired, pulling out a chair and joining her at the table. Francoise sighed again. "Well, there was the time she took off to America without telling him and he had to track her down. Right before Christmas. He was in a terrible state. I worry it could happen again..." She dropped her gaze, rubbing her hands. R-02 stared at Francoise in confusion. "Was that before or after the engagement?" She asked, taking a sip of water. Now it was Francoise's turn to feel the confusion. Her head snapped up, wide eyed. "Wh-what engagement?" R-02 swallowed hard, "Oh shit."

Jet wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders. The sky had started to darken as they made their way back to the beach house. 'Any day now, 001 will wake. He will be able to fix all of this. Lily will get her memories back. But, at least we are still together. I just wish... As long as we take it slow, we can manage. I guess we will have to manage if... ahhh, no ifs!' Lily glanced up at Jet, noting his furrowed brow. "You okay?" She inquired quietly. Jet forced a smile. "Yeah, just thinking about patrols later is all. You have training again with R-02, right?" Lily sighed. "Yep. At least she is being nicer to me." Jet looked up at the house, and came to a halt. "What the..."

Francoise stood in the doorway, arms cross her chest and a face like thunder. "003, are you al-" Jet was interrupted by a BANG as confetti exploded from behind Francoise. She did not budge as glittering bits of paper and streamers fluttered around her. 007 and 006 jumped out from behind her, onto the porch. "CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT!" They sang in unison. 007 blew on a trumpet. 005 appeared from behind the trio, holding a bouquet of flowers, his eyes full of tears and he handed the flowers to Lily. Lily stares ahead dumbfounded. Jet scratched the back of his head.

"Congratulations..." Francoise muttered.

*waves* Need to wrap this up. Still not sure how! Kissessssssss! 


End file.
